


Losing Grip

by darkin520



Category: seaQuest
Genre: Drama, F/M, Friendship, Humor, Romance, Suspense
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-06-29
Updated: 2012-06-29
Packaged: 2017-11-08 20:11:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 20
Words: 39,666
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/447051
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/darkin520/pseuds/darkin520
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A seaQuest Halloween story. The seaQuest crew is in the Halloween spirit, and there are all kinds of pranks going on among the crew. But, what happens when the pranks stop being funny and things turn scary? Season 1 cast and setting.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: SeaQuest DSV and its characters are not my creation. They are the creation of Rockne S. O'Bannon as a 1990's television series. This work of fanfiction is for entertainment purposes only and is not for financial gain. I am just borrowing the characters for a bit and promise to return them unharmed and in their original condition, maybe just a bit happier.
> 
> Set directly after 'Hide and Seek'.

Nathan Bridger headed to his quarters, still unable to sleep. He hadn't slept well that week, and it wasn't Milos Teslov that was the problem. It was Kristin.

He paced back and forth as he thought. Why was he so angry about her seeing Malcolm? Certainly, it was her time to do with what she pleased. But, with Malcolm of all people?

Nathan sighed. No, Downey wasn't a bad guy. He was Nathan's friend, someone he'd trust with his life. Sure, the guy was a little crazy, maybe even a bit of a coward. But, he was a brilliant scientist. And, he had saved Darwin's life when they were dealing with Dr. Raleigh Young's black smokers. But, there was one thing he couldn't handle, and that was watching him put his hands all over Kristin.

It was only a few simple touches. But, when Kristin was explaining how the electroencephalographic monitoring system would display Caesar Teslov's brain activity while swimming with Darwin, Nathan found it rather difficult to focus on what Kristin was saying. Friend or not, he did not enjoy watching that slime ball rub her shoulders.

"Kristin was right; I am jealous," he muttered to himself.

But he found himself more confused than ever. She had been so mysterious just a moment ago. She'd said there had to be something more to her life, but she wasn't sure if she was finished with Malcolm. And, she was checking to see if there was something else she needed on the boat. What was that supposed to mean?

After mulling things about in his head several times over, he decided he couldn't wait to find out. He walked out of his quarters and headed to Kristin's room. He knocked on the door.

She answered, now dressed in a robe herself. "Nathan? Is something wrong?"

"Yes….no…I mean, can we talk?"

She stepped aside to allow him to step into her quarters.

Nathan could hear soft music playing. He saw a book lying on the bed, open, but turned upside down to save the page she'd been on. "I…hope I wasn't interrupting anything."

She shook her head. "Not at all. Let me just turn this off." She turned the radio off and turned back to Nathan. She noticed how uncomfortable he looked. She smiled softly. "Why don't you have a seat?" She motioned to the small table and chairs. "Can I get you anything? A cup of tea maybe?" Then she added, "Some more chocolate pudding?"

He smiled stiffly as he sat. "No, I'm fine, thank you."

"Well, I'm going to have a cup of tea," she told him. "Are you sure you don't want one? It will help you relax." She took out two cups from the small cabinet and a box of tea bags.

"Who says I'm not relaxed?"

Kristin laughed softly as she carried the two cups of tea to the table. She set one in front of him. "Just drink," she urged him.

He took a sip. She had already sweetened it and added a touch of milk. "It's good; thank you."

She nodded. "So, what's bothering you?"

"I was…uh…well, I was just wondering…" he stammered.

"Yes?"

He sighed and stood, pacing slightly once again. "Are you going to stop seeing Malcolm?" he asked quietly. His back was turned to her.

A moment later, he felt a warm hand on his shoulder. He jumped slightly.

"I didn't mean to startle you," she said apologetically. "Please look at me."

He did so. He swallowed hard when he saw the look on her face, one full of love and understanding.

"Do you want me to stop seeing him?" Her tone was gentle, but she wanted Nathan to tell her. She wanted him to open up. If he wanted to take their relationship to the next level, she was certainly willing. But, she wanted him to say it.

"I didn't like how friendly he got with you," he finally admitted after a long pause. "You were right; I was jealous."

She smiled. "I'm not going to see Malcolm anymore, unless it's of the professional nature," she confirmed. Then, she added, "Nothing happened between us, you know. I think he wanted more of a commitment from me, and I couldn't do that."

"Why is that?"

"I need more than charm to keep me happy," she said quietly.

The two stared into one another's eyes for a long while. Kristin felt her face grow warm as she noticed Nathan looking her up and down. She turned away. "Uh, the tea's getting cold," she said. She sat back at the table and picked up her cup.

Nathan followed suit as well. "So, what do you need to keep you happy?" he asked.

She shrugged her shoulders. "I told you I was checking."

"Yes, I remember," he said, somewhat annoyed. "I'm not exactly sure what that means."

"It means I'm reassessing things," she told him, "deciding what I need."

"How long will that take?"

She smiled. "It might take a little while."

"You mentioned. And it's still the same answer."

"As soon as I know, you'll be the first person I tell."

He nodded. "Fair enough. I just needed to understand what you meant."

"Of course. Would you like more tea?" she offered.

"No, thank you," he said, taking the last sip from his cup. "It's late, and I need to be to work in the morning."

"So do I," she said.

"I'm sorry if I kept you awake."

"You didn't. I couldn't sleep myself. Um, see you at breakfast?"

"It's a date. Um, I mean, I'll see you there."

"Goodnight, Captain."

"Sleep well, Doctor."

The next morning

Kristin awoke to a commotion in the corridor.

"I'm going to kill you, Ben!" she heard Lucas yell.

"Come on; it's almost Halloween. Can't you get in the spirit?" she heard Ben shout back.

Then, she heard running. She quickly threw on a robe so she could see what was going on.

Once in the hallway, she saw Lucas covered in some type of green goo, and he was chasing Ben through the halls.

"Lucas, I'm sorry," Ben called. "Can't we talk about this?"

"After I get revenge!" Lucas cried.

Kristin decided to intervene before Lucas really did kill Ben. She knew Krieg could be terribly annoying, but that certainly didn't warrant his death. She stood between them, her arms out. "Hold it!"

Both Ben and Lucas froze.

"Good," she said, satisfied. "Now, will one of you please explain to me why Lucas is covered in some type of green gelatin?"

"Well, Doc, I was just trying to get everyone into the Halloween spirit, starting with Lucas here," Ben said sweetly.

"He threw a water balloon at me while I was asleep, only it wasn't filled with water. For all I know, it could be toxic waste. My room is covered with it!" Lucas said dryly.

"It's lime-flavored," Ben said in his defense. "Completely edible and not toxic."

Kristin sighed. She regretted coming out to intervene after all because she suddenly had a splitting headache trying to decide how to handle this. But, as the two men started to argue, she heard Nathan coming down the other end of the corridor.

"Hey, you two, knock it off," Nathan shouted as he approached them. "Does someone want to explain what the hell is going on here?"

"Apparently, Mr. Krieg threw a lime gelatin-filled balloon at Lucas," Kristin explained. "I woke up to Lucas threatening bodily harm against him."

Nathan took another look at Lucas and started snickering, realizing the boy did look rather funny. Ben joined in. Lucas and Kristin, however, did not.

Lucas lunged for Ben. "It's not funny! I'm going to kill you! My room's a mess because of it."

Nathan stopped laughing and held Lucas back. "Hey, Kiddo, calm down. " He turned to Ben. "You'll help clean up Lucas' room, and if you have any more of those balloons, you'd better get rid of them."

"But-" Ben began.

"No buts," Nathan interrupted. "Aren't we a little old for childish pranks like this?"

"You're never too old for Halloween," Ben countered.

"Well, save the pranks for when you're off-duty, and I don't want to hear of anyone running through the halls anymore either. I think you both need to apologize to the doctor for waking her up."

"Sorry," both muttered sheepishly.

Kristin shrugged her shoulders. "It's alright; my alarm was about to go off soon anyway."

Nathan turned to both men. "Now, you two get cleaned up and get to work."

"Yes, Sir," both said as they walked off, squabbling quietly.

Nathan turned to Kristin. "Something tells me this won't be the last prank we see this week."

She nodded. "I'd completely forgotten it was that time of year."

"Yes, well, I'll have to keep an extra eye on them. We still have work to do."

"Yes, but they do deserve to have a little fun. We've been working hard all year."

Nathan raised an eyebrow at her. "You're suggesting we allow it?"

She laughed softly. "I know, I'm not usually one for fun and games, but I have my moments. Besides, did you see the smile on Lucas' face?"

Nathan gave her a confused look. "He wasn't smiling. He was angry. He said he was going to kill Ben."

"That's what he said, but that's not what the look on his face said. His eyes were smiling. He was having fun. However annoying Mr. Krieg's prank may have been, Lucas enjoyed it," she explained. "He deserves to have a little fun this time of year. Besides, I want to see him get revenge."

Nathan laughed. "I suppose that will be fun to watch."

She nodded. "Well, if you'll excuse me, I need to get changed."

"Likewise. See you in the mess?"

"See you there," she promised.


	2. Chapter 2

Twenty minutes later, Nathan headed to the mess hall. Although it was still fairly early, there were quite a few people in there already. Nathan scanned the room for Kristin; he saw her in the back of the mess waving at him.

Kristin placed a cup of coffee in front of him as soon as he sat down.

"Cream, two sugars, just the way you like it. I thought you could use something to wake you up."

"Thank you; that's sweet of you."

She merely smiled, taking a sip from her own cup. "So, I was thinking," she began, "since the crew's in the Halloween spirit, we could-"

"I finally got the green slime out of my hair," Lucas interrupted, taking a seat at the table next to Nathan. Then, he announced, "I had to wash it four times."

Nathan gave Kristin an apologetic look. She simply nodded, and they both turned to Lucas. "As long as you're ready to work rather than play games," Nathan replied.

Lucas nodded. "I'm not going to lie and say that I won't be imagining all sorts of horrible things happening to Ben, but I promise I won't act on any of them…at least not until after I'm off duty."

Kristin shook her head. "I hate to put a damper on your plans, but I need your full attention in the lab."

Lucas groaned. "Do we have to work on those algae samples again?"

"I'm sorry algae doesn't excite you. If you'd rather, I'm sure I could come up with something more stimulating for you," Kristin replied.

"Like latrine duty," Nathan added.

Lucas rolled his eyes. "I'll be good, I swear. Classifying algae samples is just what I hoped we'd be doing today."

"Hmmm, I sense a bit of sarcasm. But, I believe you. Now eat up," Kristin said. She turned back to Nathan. "Now, as I was saying before, since the crew is so engrossed in Halloween, I was thinking we could-"

But Kristin was interrupted once again, this time by Katie Hitchcock screaming. "Ben, I'm going to kill you!"

Everyone turned their attention to the front of the room. Katie had been sitting at a table in the front, eating and conversing with Ben and some of the other crew members. But, now she stood, pointing at her breakfast plate, all color drained from her face.

Ben laughed. "It's just a little fake blood." He had taken some fake rubber fingers and red corn syrup to mimic blood and stuffed them among her pancakes when she wasn't looking. "It's funny."

Nathan walked up on the scene, his arms crossed. He glared at Ben. "Mr. Krieg, I thought I made myself clear."

"I…well, I wasn't…I'm not…" Ben stammered. Finally, he realized he had no good excuse. "Sorry," he muttered.

Nathan sighed. "I don't want to have this conversation again. Save the pranks for later. Finish your breakfast and get to work."

He turned and walked back to Kristin and Lucas.

"Serves him right," Lucas muttered through a grin.

"You're not innocent, either. Weren't you just talking about getting revenge?" Nathan countered.

"I was….you said…doesn't he deserve it?" Lucas asked.

"Just eat and get to work," Nathan told him. "And the same goes for you…save the pranks for when you're off-duty."

"Aye, Sir," Lucas mumbled. Lucas quickly ate and left the table.

"Don't you think you were a little hard on both of them?" Kristin asked.

"You mean you're defending this? You don't think these pranks are a little juvenile?"

"I didn't say that, but they're harmless. And, it certainly wouldn't hurt to let them have a little fun," Kristin explained. "So, I thought-"

At that moment, however, Nathan's PAL beeped. "Damn," he muttered. "I'm sorry."

Kristin nodded. "I need to get to the lab anyway. We can talk about it later."

"At the staff meeting," Nathan confirmed as the two parted ways.

So, the day went on as normal as any other day without any more pranks. Later, as the staff meeting ended, Kristin lagged behind.

Once they were alone, Nathan turned to her. "I'm sorry I didn't get a chance to hear what you had to say before. What was it you wanted to tell me?"

"Well, I was thinking, with the crew in the Halloween spirit, and with Lucas, that we could have a Halloween party next week. We could do costumes, games, dancing. It could be fun," Kristin said excitedly.

Nathan could tell she'd already mused about the idea. He certainly didn't want to disappoint her. He thought for a minute.

Kristin took his silence as meaning that he wasn't keen on the idea. "I suppose it is a bit silly, isn't it?" But, the disappointment in her voice was evident.

"I wasn't saying I didn't like the idea at all," Nathan assured her. "I was just thinking about it, and I've decided it's not a bad one. However, we're going to have to get Admiral Noyce's approval, and we obviously can't ignore any global emergencies if they arise."

"Of course," Kristin said with a smile. "So, you're saying yes?"

Nathan nodded. "But, I'll let you call Admiral Noyce."

Kristin groaned slightly. "Could you help me? He's still upset with me about the four torpedoes. I'm not sure he'd take kindly to the idea."

"You think he'll need convincing it's a good idea?"

"Coming from me, yes. Coming from you, probably not. He lets you do pretty much what you want around here."

"That might be how it looks, but he's still my superior."

"Yes, but he's also your friend. He's not mine, and I don't think he's a fan of mine either," Kristin admitted. She walked over to the vid link and dialed his number.

"Well, perhaps it was the fact you kept turning off his calls during the crisis," Nathan teased. Then, he patted her shoulder gently. "It will be fine; don't worry."

She gave him a small smile as Admiral Noyce answered.

"Nathan, Doctor, is something wrong?"

Nathan shook his head. "No, actually, Kristin had something she wanted to ask you." Nathan gave her a little nudge, urging her to go ahead.

"Yes?" the admiral said.

"W-well, Admiral, I was wondering…" she began nervously.

"Yes?"

"We've been working so hard lately, and Lucas is still young. And Halloween is next week…"

"You want to know if you can have a party?" the admiral guessed.

Kristin nodded. "I'm sure you probably think it's a silly idea, though," she said quietly.

"On the contrary, Doctor, I don't see the harm in it. Actually, I was planning a visit next week myself-"

"You were?" Nathan and Kristin said simultaneously.

Noyce chuckled lightly. "Well, Nathan and I have a mutual friend who's interested in seeing the seaQuest. I've offered her a tour, and I think a party would be a wonderful way to welcome her."

"Her?" Nathan questioned. "Who?"

Noyce smiled. "She asked me not to tell you; she wants to surprise you."

"She's UEO?"

Noyce nodded. "That's all I'm allowed to say. But, yes, Doctor, you have the go-ahead for a party. I'll leave the planning up to you. It's a costume party, I assume?"

She nodded, still in shock that he was agreeing to the idea.

"Then, organize quickly so the crew can find costumes." He turned to Nathan. "I'll be in touch with the details on when we'll be arriving. I'll get back to you in a day or so?"

"That'll be fine."

"Good. Well, until then, goodbye."

"Goodbye, and thank you," Kristin and Nathan said together.

With that, the link was cut.

"Well, that wasn't so bad, was it?" Nathan asked.

Kristin shook her head. "So, who is this her Admiral Noyce was talking about?"

Nathan shrugged his shoulders. "I have no idea. I know a lot of hers in the UEO."

"Yes, but how many would want to surprise you?"

"You wouldn't be jealous, would you?" Nathan teased.

"Jealous? Certainly not! What do I have to be jealous of?" she scoffed. But the truth was, she didn't like the idea of some mysterious female who had connections to Nathan coming aboard the seaQuest, especially when she didn't know her motives. It may have been completely innocent, but she wasn't so sure. And, she didn't like the feeling. Yes, she was a little jealous.

"I'm sure it's nothing to worry about. It's probably just an old friend."

Kristin nodded. "Well, it seems I have work to do if I'm going to organize a party in a week. I better get started."

"Let me know if you need help," Nathan offered.

She smiled. "I will." She started towards the door. Then, she remembered something, and she turned back to him once again. "Just please don't tell Lucas. I want to be the one to tell him."

Nathan nodded. "I'll leave it to you."

"Thank you. See you later." With that, she exited the ward room.

Nathan sighed. "Guess I should get back to work myself," he muttered to himself. As he headed to the bridge, his thoughts drifted to this mystery woman and who she might be. He'd been in the navy for a long time and met scores of women. Although he'd even dated some of them before he was married, he doubted any of them would want to contact him after so many years. Most of them were married now themselves.

He set to work, calling orders where needed. But, the waters were fairly calm at the moment. Nathan decided to have a seat. As he sat, however, he felt something odd. He tried to shift in the chair and realized he was stuck. "Ben!" he shouted.


	3. Chapter 3

Nathan took out his PAL and immediately called Ben to the bridge. Judging by the captain's tone, Ben made a point not to be slow in his arrival on the bridge. He arrived just moments later.

"You wanted to see me, Sir?" Ben asked. He noticed the captain was smiling, but it wasn't exactly a happy smile. It was the type of smile one gets when he or she is angry. Ben swallowed hard, wondering what he had done this time.

"Mr. Krieg, would you like to explain to me why I am stuck to my chair?" His tone was quiet to mask his anger.

Ben tried to stifle a snicker. "Captain, you have to believe me, I had nothing to do with this." Then, he added, "You really can't get up?"

"You've been the master of pranks today, and you expect me to believe your hands are clean in the matter? And to answer your question, no."

"You told me to stop, and I have…so far. I haven't pulled any pranks since this morning. You saw it."

"Well, if you're not responsible, who is?"

Ben shook his head. "I honestly don't know, Sir."

Nathan stared at the younger man in front of him. He was trying to decide if he was being truthful. The rest of the bridge crew was silent, not wanting to cause any more upset. However, Katie stepped forward.

"If I may, Captain, I can tell you that Ben's telling the truth," she told him.

"How can you tell, Commander?"

"Because when Ben lies, he touches his nose. I can always tell when he's lying."

Considering Ben and Katie had been married at one time, Nathan trusted her. He gave her a nod. "Thank you, Commander."

"You're welcome, Sir." She went back to the helm, leaving Nathan and Ben to speak once again.

"Well, Lieutenant, you ought to thank her for saving your butt. You're off the hook. But, don't think I won't be watching you," Nathan warned.

"Yes, Sir; thank you, Sir," Ben muttered before quickly retreating.

Nathan sighed. He tried shifting in his chair once again, hoping that somehow, he'd be able to remove himself from the chair, but to no avail. He took his PAL out once again and hit the page button.

"Westphalen."

"Doctor, can you please come to the bridge?" Nathan asked.

"What's wrong?" Her voice was laced with concern.

"Everything's fine. I mean, no one needs medical attention exactly."

"Exactly what's the problem then?" she pressed.

"Just come to the bridge, please." His tone was gentle, but the frustration was evident in it.

"I'll be right there."

Several minutes later, Kristin arrived. She looked around, noting that there certainly was a problem. But, she couldn't exactly tell what it was. She crossed to Nathan. He was sitting, something he rarely did. "Are you feeling alright?"

"I feel fine, for the most part. I just can't move."

"What do you mean?"

He motioned for her to come closer to him.

She did so, and he whispered, "Someone seems to have put glue all over my chair."

The good doctor couldn't help but let out a small laugh. Nathan gave her a glare, and she quickly covered her mouth with her hand. After a minute, she composed herself. "I'm sorry, but you have to admit, it is a little funny."

"I really fail to see the humor in it at the moment. I was hoping you could help me."

She thought for a minute. She turned. "Commander Ford," she called. She summoned him to come over.

Ford obediently crossed to them.

"Help me pull him from the chair," she said.

The commander and the doctor took hold of each of Nathan's arms and tugged. After a few moments, the unmistakable sound of fabric tearing could be heard, and Nathan was free.

Kristin thought fast and stripped off her sweater, since she wore a T-shirt underneath. She tied it around Nathan's waist without batting an eyelash.

The rest of the crew all stood dumbfounded; no one knew what to say or what to do, including Commander Ford, who was usually so deliberate in his actions and rarely found himself at a loss for words.

Nathan tried his best to cover up his dignity, although the doctor's sweater helped, it didn't cover everything. "I'd better get changed." He turned to Ford. "You'll handle the bridge. And please see about getting someone to take care of the chair. Reupholster it if you must, but I want this mess cleaned up."

"Aye, Sir."

"Uh, well, I guess my work here is done," Kristin said, still wearing an amused expression on her face. Then, she added, "Keep the sweater; I have others."

"Thank you, Doctor," Nathan replied sheepishly. He quickly made a bee-line for the mag-lev, hoping to find it empty.

Once Nathan had put on some more suitable clothing, he returned to the bridge. Although he wanted to look into the mystery of who the culprit could have been, there was work to be done first. Thankfully, the crew kept all comments about Nathan's unfortunate incident to themselves. Although, Nathan realized they were probably just being smart, knowing that he'd lash out at anyone who did so. But, as the day turned into early evening, Nathan was relieved of duty for the day. He headed to the mess for a late dinner.

Once there, he saw Lucas and Kristin sitting at a table in the back. Their empty plates had been pushed to one side of the table, obviously forgotten. And the two were involved in deep conversation. Kristin was writing as they were talking, and they'd both laugh occasionally. Nathan deduced they were party planning. He had decided not to disturb them when Kristin suddenly looked up. She waved her hand, urging him to sit with him.

She picked up the empty dishes. "Let me just move these out of your way." When she returned, she added, "You're looking better I see." She gave him a smile, her eyes twinkling.

"I'll have your sweater washed," he promised.

She shrugged her shoulders. "I told you it didn't matter; I have others."

Lucas looked confused. "What happened with the doctor's sweater?"

Nathan raised an eyebrow and looked at Kristin. "You didn't tell him?"

"I didn't think it was my place," she explained. "Besides, I'm sure there'll be plenty of jokes amongst the rest of the crew."

"Not if they want to live," Nathan quipped. "My goal is to find out who the culprit is. And when I do, there will be repercussions," he added.

"Revenge," Kristin confirmed.

Nathan nodded.

"Will someone please tell me what happened already?" Lucas interrupted.

"Someone decided it would be funny to play a prank on me. They glued me to my chair."

Lucas immediately started laughing. Nathan gave him a look. "You think it's funny?"

"I'm sorry, but it kind of is," Lucas answered through chuckles.

"My pants ripped," Nathan added.

But, this only resulted in more laughter from Lucas. Kristin joined in as well.

After a moment, Nathan added, "I guess it was a little funny, but it would have been funnier if it hadn't happened to me." He chuckled lightly.

After a few moments, the laughs subsided. Nathan got serious then. "You wouldn't happen to know who'd be responsible for the handiwork, do you?" he asked Lucas.

Lucas shook his head. "It wasn't me, honest."

"I wasn't accusing you. I just want to know who did it."

Lucas shrugged his shoulders. "Did you ask Ben?"

"He was my first guess, but he's already been ruled out as a suspect," Nathan said.

"Perhaps it's someone no one would suspect?" Kristin suggested. "To throw you off the trail."

"What? Like you?" Nathan teased. He laughed, and so did Lucas.

But, Kristin didn't. "What? You don't think I could have done something so…so devious?"

"It's just that you're usually so prim and proper," Nathan explained.

"You're just not the pranking type," Lucas added.

Kristin shrugged her shoulders. "I realize that's the image I portray, but I do know how to have fun."

Nathan nodded. "I'm sure you do, but this was definitely not done by an amateur."

"Chief Crocker?" Lucas suggested.

Nathan thought for a moment. "Maybe. We used to do that kind of stuff in the past. Halloween always was one of the best times, along with April Fool's that is."

"Well, speaking of Halloween, Lucas and I have started planning the party," Kristin added. She showed Nathan her list of plans she'd scribbled down.

"So, are you excited about this party?" Nathan asked Lucas.

The boy nodded enthusiastically. "Definitely. I can't believe Admiral Noyce is allowing this."

"Well, I think it's only for the benefit of the surprise guest," Kristin added.

"Surprise guest?" Lucas queried.

"Yes, I guess Admiral Noyce is going to be bringing an old friend of mine," Nathan said.

"Who?"

"I'm not sure; it's a surprise."

"Hm, a surprise? Is it a female surprise?" Lucas teased.

"What are you trying to say?" Nathan asked.

Lucas shrugged his shoulders. "Nothing. I'm just saying that maybe it wouldn't hurt you to go out on a date or something."

"Well, who says I'm not planning on it? Maybe I already have a gal in mind."

Lucas raised an eyebrow. "Who?"

"None of your business." Nathan exchanged glances with Kristin, who merely smiled. Lucas was oblivious to the small gesture. "So, what kind of things have you planned?"

"The menu and games," Lucas said. "We've decided on a Halloween scavenger hunt."

"Oh, that should be fun," Nathan said enthusiastically.

"And a costume contest," Kristin added.

"And, I'm going to be making fliers to pass out to the crew so they have the time to find a costume," Lucas said. He looked at his watch. "Speaking of which, I ought to get on that if they're going to be ready by tomorrow. I'll see you both tomorrow?"

"Definitely," Nathan confirmed.

Kristin nodded. "Goodnight, Dear."

"Night," Lucas said as he exited.

Nathan turned to Kristin. "You certainly have him excited. He's like a little kid on Christmas morning."

"I'm just glad he can have a little fun. It's not easy for him, you know."

"I know. So, have you thought of a costume yet?"

"I have a few ideas," Kristin said, her voice somewhat mysterious.

"You know, we could do a costume together…go as a couple?" he suggested.

Kristin thought for a moment. "Are you asking me on a date?"

"Are you saying yes?"

"Well, that depends. Can I get back to you?" she asked.

"I suppose. Are you waiting for someone else to ask you?" The disappointment and anger was evident in his tone.

"No, but I really don't know how much time I'll have to spend with you or anyone at the party. I might be too busy over-seeing things. How about I make a deal with you? I'll at least be partners with you for the scavenger hunt. The rest, we'll have to play by ear," she said. Then, she added, "If circumstances were different, I'd say yes in a heartbeat."

Nathan nodded, feeling a little better. "Deal."

"Well, if you'll excuse me, I have some work to do in the lab. Goodnight, Captain."

"Goodnight, Doctor."


	4. Chapter 4

The next day started more normally than the previous. Nathan was surprised he didn't wake up to any pranks. No Lucas and Ben running through the corridors. No one threatening bodily harm on anyone else. Yes, it was going to be a good day, hopefully, an uneventful day. He headed to the mess for breakfast before heading to the bridge.

Upon opening the door, he saw a fluorescent yellow paper taped to his door. He took it off and read it. "First annual seaQuest Halloween party: Games, prizes, and lots of fun." He chuckled. "Annual? That's pushing it, kid, isn't it?" he muttered to himself. He quickly put the flier on his desk, closed the door, and proceeded to head to the mess hall.

He grabbed a cup of coffee and a bagel and sat next to Kristin, who was already eating.

"Good morning," he said.

She smiled. "Good morning yourself. I see your pants are intact at least," she teased.

"Haha," he said dryly. "You just wait until you're the victim of one of these silly pranks. We'll see who's laughing then."

"Oh, this time of year only lasts a little while. Any luck on figuring out who did it?"

He shook his head. "Not at all. It wasn't Ben; it wasn't Crocker. And I'm sure whoever it was, he or she isn't going to voluntarily come forward."

"Oh, you never know. Whoever it is will likely brag about it to someone. Being the only one able to prank the captain isn't something I'd keep to myself very long," she said.

Nathan nodded. "That makes sense. I guess it doesn't really matter. So far, this day has been gag free, and I hope it stays that way." He started to take a bite of his bagel, but thought twice. He opened it up and closely examined it.

Kristin giggled. "What in the world are you doing?"

"Admittedly, yesterday's incident may have made me a little paranoid, so I'm not taking any chances," he explained.

"You think the glue bandit will strike again?" she teased.

"The glue bandit? Is that we're calling him?"

"Or her," she added. "You can't just assume it's a man. I'd be wary of chairs if I were you."

Nathan started to say something in response, but he was interrupted by his PAL. "Bridger."

"Captain," Tim O'Neill's voice sounded from the device. "You've a call from Admiral Noyce."

"Thank you, Lieutenant. I'll take it in the ward room." He put the device back in his pocket and turned to Kristin.

"That was fast," she said. "I assume he's telling you when he's arriving."

Nathan nodded. "Would you like to tag along?"

"I have a bit of time before I need to be in med bay, so sure," she said with a nod.

A short time later, the two were in the ward room in front of the vid-link. "Good morning, Bill," Nathan greeted. "This is unexpected. I didn't expect to hear from you for another day or two."

"Hello yourself, Nathan. Why don't you have a seat? This isn't a formal call."

"Uh, I think I'd rather stand, thank you," Nathan answered, resulting in laughter from Kristin.

"Good morning, Doctor," Admiral Noyce greeted her, not noticing her until she laughed. "How are the party plans coming?"

"Good morning. They're coming along well," she said. "Lucas and I are planning it together. I think you and your surprise guest will be pleased."

"Well, I was hoping you'd say that because we'll be arriving sooner than we thought."

"Oh?" Nathan said.

Bill nodded. "We'll be arriving later today."

"Today? You want to spend the whole week here?"

"Oh, please let the crew know this isn't some kind of test or anything. I'd like everything to go as normal. I'm not here to judge anyone. I'd like things to remain casual. And, our guest is the one who'd like to spend more time there. She's very excited about it, and she can't wait to see you again. And, she's not particularly concerned with military protocol."

"That's good," Nathan confirmed, "because things have been a little hectic around here. The crew's feeling a little giddy with the holiday upon us. Pranks are common."

"As long as it doesn't distract from your work. I guess things have been quite calm lately," Noyce observed. "And, you've all been working hard, so I suppose I can't complain."

Neither of the two men noticed the slight pout on Kristin's face upon the mention of the mystery female. She still didn't like the thought of this woman. And, now she was more than eager to arrive, so much so that she was arriving days earlier than they'd anticipated. She already didn't trust her, and she hadn't even met her.

"Well, I know you two have work to do, so I won't keep you. We'll see you two later."

"Later," Nathan said. "Bye."

With that, the link was cut. Nathan turned to Kristin. "Well, that's a surprise, isn't it?"

She nodded. "You're not a little worried?"

"Worried? What about?"

"Well, there's a mystery woman from your past who's dying to spend the week with you, and you're acting quite nonchalant about the whole thing," she pointed out.

Nathan laughed. "Those weren't exactly Bill's words."

"I read between the lines. Why else would she convince him to spend the week here?" she hissed.

"I'm not worried, but it sounds like you are," he noted.

She shook her head. "Not at all. I just can't believe you aren't." It was a lie, she knew. The green-eyed monster was rearing its ugly little head, and she didn't even know if her jealousy was warranted yet. But, her intuition told her that it was. But, before she could change her demeanor to appear as though she really didn't care, her PAL buzzed. A crewman in engineering had slipped and fell, and it was likely he had a broken arm.

"I guess that's my cue to leave. I'll see you later, I suppose." She exited, part of her thankful she didn't have to explain herself any further.

"Later," Nathan confirmed. Then, he added quietly, "You have nothing to worry about, Doctor. I only have eyes for one woman these days." He didn't say it to anyone in particular. He knew Kristin was long gone and that she didn't hear him. He sighed and headed to the bridge. "This is going to be one interesting week."

On the bridge, everything was seemingly normal. It was another calm day, so it seemed. He noticed his chair had been replaced, the old one taken away.

"Glue-free, Captain," Ford informed him. "I promise you." He sat down and got back up to prove his point.

Nathan chuckled lightly. "Thank you, Commander." He noticed the others were watching as well. "Alright, people, let's get to work."

By afternoon, Admiral Noyce and the mystery guest were set to arrive any moment.

Nathan and Chief Crocker waited in launch bay. A few moments later, Kristin arrived as well.

"Oh, you decided to greet the Admiral as well?" Nathan asked her.

She shrugged her shoulders. "I'm off-duty for the day, and I thought I'd share the other party details with him."

"And this has nothing to do with seeing who the mystery woman is?" he pressed.

"No."

Nathan raised an eyebrow.

"Alright, fine, maybe," she finally admitted. "I think everyone wants to know who she is."

A moment later, Crocker announced, "Admiral on board!"

Admiral Noyce stepped forward accompanied by a tall, gorgeous-looking blonde woman with lovely green eyes.

"Nathan, Dr. Westphalen, Chief Crocker, hello," Noyce greeted. "Uh, Nathan, you must remember-"

"Meredith?" Nathan asked in awe. "Is that you?"

She gave him a satisfied smile as she walked up to him, and they hugged. "Nathan, it's so wonderful to finally see you again."

"Likewise. I thought I'd never see you again after…" his voice trailed off.

"I know, and I'm sorry. Leaving you at the altar was one of my biggest regrets. By the time I had realized it, I'd heard you had already married someone else." She turned to Kristin. "Is this her? Is this the lucky woman?"

Nathan shook his head. "No, uh, my wife Carol passed away nearly a year ago. This is, uh….this is…"

"Dr. Kristin Westphalen," Kristin offered, seeing that Nathan was suddenly tongue-tied. She held out her hand.

"General Meredith Reese," she said, shaking her hand. "I'm sorry for the mistake. I should have known better. Nathan always did prefer blondes."

Kristin merely smiled through clenched teeth. "I suppose I ought to let you two get reacquainted. Perhaps I'll see you at dinner." She turned to Admiral Noyce. "Admiral." Then, she quickly exited.

Nathan knew he should have gone after her, should have explained himself. But, Meredith wrapped her arm around his. "So, are you going to give me a tour? I've been dying to see this boat for years."

Nathan looked at Bill.

"Go ahead. I'd like to speak with Dr. Westphalen about the party plans anyway. I've seen this place numerous times."

"I'll show you to your room then," Crocker offered.

With that, the two groups parted ways.

After settling into his room, Admiral Noyce set off to med bay to find Kristin. She was in her office, though she wasn't exactly working. It was more like she was stewing over the incident in launch bay. Her thoughts were interrupted by a knock on the door frame. She turned. "Admiral Noyce, I didn't expect you." She quickly started tidying up her desk, which looked a mess at the moment.

"At ease, Doctor. May I come in?"

"Please," she said motioning towards one of the chairs in front of her desk.

He sat and said, "I just wanted to talk over the details of the party. Is everything set? Do you need anything at all?"

"Everything's in order," she assured him. "Lucas and I have everything under control. I-"

She was interrupted by laughter in the hall. "Oh, Nathan, you were always so funny." Meredith and Nathan were in the hallway.

Kristin sighed, feeling her anger rise.

"They were always good together," Bill interrupted her thoughts. "I thought bringing someone from his past might help him love again."

"How do you know he hasn't?" she asked.

"Nathan's my best friend. If he had a love interest, believe me, I'd know," Bill told her. "They were together long before Nathan met Carol. And on the day of the wedding, she backed out. Nathan never heard from her again."

"Even though she was in the military?"

"She left him a letter saying she'd met someone else. She accepted orders to be stationed over-seas."

"So, she's married?" Kristin asked hopefully.

"Divorced," Bill explained. Then he added, "She's a good woman, I assure you."

Kristin nodded. "I hope so."


	5. Chapter 5

As dinnertime rolled around, Nathan, Meredith, and Bill Noyce headed to the mess. Nathan scanned the crowded room for Kristin, but he didn't' see her. He'd felt a little guilty about the first meeting with Meredith, and he could tell Kristin was less than thrilled about it too. He'd hoped to see her so he could make it up to her, explain himself a bit. He made a mental note to find her when he could get away from Meredith.

After dinner and a rousing game of poker, Meredith and Bill decided to retire to their rooms. Nathan was pleased. He headed to Kristin's room and knocked. He stood there for a long time, finally deciding she wasn't there after all. As he turned, however, the door opened.

"Yes?" she asked. She was dressed in a robe.

"I'm sorry, did I…were you sleeping?" Nathan asked, wondering if that was the reason for the delay.

She shook her head. "Is there something you wanted?"

"Could I come in? I'd like to talk."

She thought for a moment. Then she stepped aside to allow him to pass and closed the door behind him after he did.

"Have a seat," she said, motioning towards the small table in her room. Then she added, "No glue on them, I promise."

Nathan sat, taking her joke to mean she might not be as angry as he thought. "I wanted to apologize for what happened earlier."

"Oh, you mean for forgetting who I was and failing to mention you had been left at the altar before?" she asked.

"I'm sorry I forgot your name. I was a little flustered. Imagine having an old beau of yours from the past show up out of the blue."

"If I did have an old flame of mine show up out of nowhere, I wouldn't forget your name," she informed him.

"And I never told you about her because I didn't think it would matter. Besides, I don't know everything about your past, and I'm okay with it."

"Excuse me? I seem to recall a conversation you and I had not too long ago about Malcolm. You seemed quite angry about me seeing him. You were definitely not OK with it. And you mean to tell me you'd be completely fine if some old boyfriend of mine came waltzing in here, falling all over me and insulting you in the same breath? Hah! I think not."

"Insulting you? Meredith most certainly did not insult you," Nathan defended.

"Oh really?" Then, in her best Meredith impression, she said, "I'm so sorry for the mistake. I should have known better. Nathan always did prefer blondes. That was an insult if ever I heard one."

"She didn't mean it as an insult. She doesn't even know you and I are…are…well, whatever it is we are," Nathan explained.

"Well, I'm not sure. I've been waiting for you to make up your damn mind!"

"Me? I'm the one who can't make up my mind? What about you?" And in his best Kristin voice, he said, "I'm checking, I'm checking. What the hell is that supposed to mean?"

"It means stop dragging your feet and show me you want me already. Stop sending me mixed messages. You don't want me seeing Malcolm, so I stopped. Now, I need you to commit to me. But, some tramp from your past comes in here, and you're all over her," Kristin yelled.

"I'm not trying to send you mixed messages. And you don't even know Meredith, so don't refer to her that way."

"Oh, I'm not allowed to insult her, but she can insult me? And how else would you like me to refer to a woman who leaves you at the altar for another man?"

"OK, yes, she hurt me in the past, but I thank God every day that happened because I'd have never met Carol. Meredith leaving me was the best thing that could have happened to me."

"And you think this has nothing to do with you being single now? Please, Bill had to have told her about Carol before she came aboard. She knew full-well what she was doing."

"I don't know what Bill told her," Nathan admitted. "But does it really matter now? She apologized. You need to give her a chance. Or are you going to keep avoiding her the rest of the week?"

"If she's going to keep hanging all over you, yes, I am," she admitted. "I'll be fighting waves of nausea at the Halloween party, I'm sure. That's bad enough."

"Oh, the party…I forgot to mention…Meredith asked me to be her date. Since you turned me down, I didn't think you'd mind."

"I didn't turn you down. I said I had to get back to you," Kristin began angrily.

"It's just this once. There will be other Halloween parties."

Kristin walked over to the door and opened it. "I think you need to leave."

"Why?"

"Because if you don't, I might do something I regret. Just go…please."

"Fine," Nathan said, his tone matching hers. "You know, I think you're really making too big a deal out of this though."

As Nathan walked down the hall, a final thought came to her. "That's just fine! Perhaps I'll call up Malcolm and see if he can make the party!" With that, she slammed the door.

As Nathan stormed down the hall back to his room, Meredith showed up from around the corner. "Did I hear shouting?" she asked.

"It was nothing, just a little disagreement among friends," he explained. "Is there something you needed?"

She walked closer to him. "Well, I couldn't sleep, and I wanted to know if we could talk a bit more, just you and me? I think we have a lot of catching up to do. Besides, we need to decide on our costumes."

Nathan nodded. He definitely wasn't in the mood for sleeping anyway, and he needed something to calm him down. "Come on in."

The next morning, Kristin woke early. She didn't even remember falling asleep since she spent most of the night stewing over the argument with Nathan. Although she was still a little angry, she also felt a little guilty over the way she'd handled it. Obviously, Nathan didn't plan Meredith's visit. And, it was just for the week. She quickly dressed and headed to his room. She wanted to apologize before they both had to get to work.

She knocked on the door. She heard a bit of commotion and then, some muffled voices. When he didn't answer the door, she knocked once more.

"K-Kristin," Nathan stammered as he answered the door. "I didn't expect you."

She looked him over. He was still wearing the same clothes he had on the day before, she was sure, because they were rumpled and wrinkly. And, his hair was a mess. "Rough night?" she asked.

"You could say that."

"Well, are you going to let me come in?" she pressed.

"Uh…well, I really don't know if that's a good idea…"

"I'm not here to fight," she assured him. "I'd actually like to apologize, so I'd like to talk…privately. We don't need the whole crew talking about it."

"Uh…can you give me a minute? The room's a mess." Before she could answer, he closed the door, leaving her out in hallway for several minutes. She put her ear to the door out of curiosity and heard more muffled voices.

Finally, Nathan opened the door. "Sorry about that. Come in."

She entered and looked around. "Was there someone else here?"

He shook his head. "Not at all. Why would you think that?"

"I thought I heard voices," she said.

"That was the radio. I was listening to the radio."

"Oh," she said. "Well, about last night…I guess I was out of line. You were right. I shouldn't have judged Meredith like that. In fact, I was hoping we could all have lunch together so she and I can get acquainted. I'm sorry."

"I'm sorry too," Nathan said. "I-"

But Nathan was interrupted by odd noises coming from the bathroom.

"What's that?" Kristin asked.

Nathan shrugged his shoulders. "I have no idea," he said innocently.

Kristin walked to the bathroom door and listened. "Nathan, there's someone in there."

Nathan just looked at her. "Kristin, I-"

Without waiting for a response, Kristin opened the door to find Meredith, her clothes and hair looking just as mussed as Nathan's.

"I guess the cat's out of the bag," Meredith said sheepishly.

Kristin said nothing, her mouth agape. She was just in shock.

"Kristin, nothing happened," Nathan began. "We just fell asleep. I just didn't want you to get the wrong impression, so I asked her to step into the bathroom."

Kristin finally found her voice. "So, you thought you'd show me that nothing happened by having her hide and lying to me?" She turned to Meredith, who wore a satisfied smile. "I hope you two are happy together." Her voice sounded as though she was beginning to cry. She ran out of the room quickly.

Nathan started to go after her, but Meredith stopped him. "Just let her go. She'll be alright."

Nathan shook his head. "You don't know her. I need her to know nothing happened."

"Well, just because nothing happened last night doesn't mean we can't make something happen now," she said, her voice sounded seductive. "Besides, I thought you two were just friends."

"We are…but, it's complicated," he said, not wanting to go into any more detail at the moment. "And, uh, let's just take things slow, hm? I have to get ready to get to the bridge. And, I think you should get back to your room before we have the whole boat talking about what did or did not happen between us."

Meredith smiled. "Fine. But, we'll have to continue this later. See you later."

Nathan quickly dressed and looked at his watch. He had twenty minutes before he had to be on the bridge. He headed to Kristin's room, hoping to smooth out the problems between them. He knocked gently. "Kristin?"

"Go away!" she yelled from the other side of the closed door. He could hear the tears in her voice.

"Kristin, I'm sorry. Please believe me. You have to believe me." He waited for several minutes, hoping she'd change her mind. Just as he was about to give up, the door opened. She stood there, her arms crossed over her chest.

"Could I please come in?" he asked. "Just hear me out."

She stepped aside, allowing him to enter.

"Look, after you and I had our little…discussion, Meredith came to my room to talk. And that's all we did was talk, by the way. And as the night went on, we both fell asleep. We were still asleep when you knocked on the door. And, when I saw it was you, I decided it was best if you didn't know she was there, considering what you already thought about her. I was just trying to protect you since I can see how upset you are about this now," he explained.

She sighed. "Look, I think it's best if you and I keep our relationship strictly professional for the time being, at least while she's around. If you want to rekindle something with her, feel free. Don't stop on my account. I'm just your CMO."

"Kristin, you know you're more than that to me," Nathan countered.

"Do I?" she asked. She shook her head. "I'd like to believe that, but you have a funny way of showing it." She opened the door once again. "Go. Decide what it is you want."

"I already know," he insisted.

She shook her head. "I don't think you do."

He stood in the doorway for a few moments, trying to think of something to do or say to convince her otherwise. But, he didn't have the courage to do so yet. So, he finally just left, closing the door behind him.

She sighed. She started gathering her things to head to med bay, seeing as she was already late. Suddenly, there was another knock at the door. Hoping it was Nathan with a more concrete answer for her, she rushed to the door and opened it. But, what she saw caused her to let out a blood-curdling scream.


	6. Chapter 6

"Whoa, Doc, it's just me," Lucas said. He was holding a box of creepy-looking decorations: disembodied limbs covered in fake blood, masks, skeletons, and the like. But, he'd been holding the box in front of his face, so all Kristin saw when she opened the door was the disembodied limbs, causing her to cry out.

She had a hand to her chest, trying to calm herself down. "Oh, Lucas, you scared the living daylights out of me!"

"I'm sorry," Lucas said, trying to stifle a laugh. "You asked me to dig up some decorations for the party, remember?" He held up some of the disembodied limbs. "What do you think of these? Ben helped me make them," he said proudly. "Realistic looking, aren't they?"

"Very much so," she agreed. "Uh, look, I really hate to run, but I need to get to the lab. Just put the box over there, and you can show yourself out." Then, she added, "Shouldn't you be in the lab as well?"

He shrugged his shoulders. "You weren't there to tell me what to do, so I thought I'd get this taken care of. I didn't think you'd mind."

She just nodded. She really wasn't in the mood for any more arguing. "Just don't dawdle. I need your help. See you soon," she said as she left the room.

As Kristin headed down the corridor, she nearly collided with Meredith.

"Oh, nice to see you again, Doctor," Meredith gushed. "Look, I can see you're in a hurry, but I just wanted to apologize. It seems you and I have gotten off on the wrong foot, and I don't want that." She held out her hand. "Truce?"

Kristin eyed her for a moment, trying to decide if she was being sincere. She finally took Meredith's hand in hers. "Truce," she agreed. "Now, I really don't want you to think I'm avoiding you, but I really have to-”

But Meredith pulled Kristin close, causing Kristin to lose her train of thought. Meredith brought her mouth close to Kristin's ear. "And by the way, I don't know what type of relationship you have with the captain, but it ends now. Admiral Noyce and the crew might be blind to it, but I most certainly am not. I suggest you keep your distance." Then, she pushed Kristin away gently and brushed herself off. She smiled sweetly. "Well, I'm glad that's over. See you later. And just remember what I said." With that, she turned and slinked off down the hall.

Kristin just stood there for a moment, quite shocked by what had just happened. She quickly composed herself, however, knowing she had work to do. She started on her way once again, trying to forget about Nathan and Meredith for the time being.

In the lab, Kristin and Lucas continued working on their algae sample classifications. As they worked, Lucas talked excitedly about the Halloween party. Normally, Kristin would have been delighted to converse with the teen about the upcoming festivities. After all, she'd convinced Admiral Noyce to allow them to have a party with the boy in mind. But, naturally, she found herself distracted considering what had just happened with Meredith. She didn't want Lucas to know she really wasn't listening, however, so she uttered an, "Uh huh." and an, "Oh, yes." on occasion as the boy jabbered on.

Kristin had known Meredith was bad news from the moment she met her. She sighed. Now that she knew that Meredith wasn't as angelic as Nathan thought, she doubted there was any way she could convince him of that. He'd already been offended when Kristin made assumptions about her. And, she wondered what exactly Meredith meant by her threat. Did she mean bodily harm or something a little less severe?

"Doc?" Lucas interrupted her thoughts.

"Oh, I'm sorry," Kristin answered, coming back to reality. "Uh huh."

"Well, what is it?"

"What's what?"

Lucas rolled his eyes. "You weren't listening. I asked if you had found a costume yet."

"Oh, sorry. I'm a little distracted today, I suppose." She shook her head. "I haven't decided just yet."

"Me either," Lucas admitted. "What's got you so distracted? Don't tell me it's these algae samples."

"And what if it is? Algae can be very exciting, you know."

"You don't sound very convincing," Lucas pointed out.

"I had a fight with a friend," she told him.

"What about?" Lucas pressed.

She smiled gently. "You're getting awfully personal, Dear. I'd really rather not share the details, if you don't mind. It's nothing against you."

Lucas nodded. "Fine." He decided to change the subject. "So, what do you think of the captain's friend?"

"Oh, so you've met Meredith?"

"Yeah, yesterday. Do you like her?"

"It doesn't really matter what I think," she replied.

"I don't like her, either," he said. "She didn't seem to be too fond of me anyway."

"Did she say something to you?" Kristin asked in concern.

"No, but her facial expression said it. When the captain brought her to my room to introduce us, she said, 'You have a child on board?' The captain defended me and said I wasn't a child, that I was part of the crew just like everyone else. But she turned down her nose at me. I just don't like the vibe she gives off," Lucas explained.

Kristin nodded. "Well, we only have to tolerate her for a week," she said. "Um, but if she says anything to you, anything that makes you feel intimidated or doesn't sit right with you, you tell me, hm?"

"Why? Do you think she'll try to send me away, get me kicked off seaQuest?" he asked nervously.

"Oh, no, certainly not!" Kristin assured him. "The captain and Admiral Noyce would never let that happen. And neither would I. I just wanted you to know you could talk to me in case anything else happens. You know, I'm here for you."

Lucas smiled. "Oh, okay. And, I know that. If I have a problem, I promise I'll tell you."

Kristin placed a hand on his shoulder and gave it a gentle squeeze. "Good." She turned back to the petri dishes in front of her and started working once again. Then, she looked over at Lucas. He seemed just as distracted as she was, although his distraction was likely more due to his excitement over the party rather than Meredith. She had a thought. "You know, why don't you take the rest of the day off? I can handle this myself."

"Really?" Lucas asked. "Are you sure?"

She nodded. "I'd say finding the perfect Halloween costume is more important than boring algae samples at the moment," she said with a smile. "Now go."

Lucas didn't wait around to be asked twice. He gathered up his things and started out the door. Then, he paused and turned back. "Thanks, Doc." And, with that he was gone.

Kristin sighed at sat back down in front of her algae samples. She wasn't in the mood to work either, her mind running in a thousand different directions. But, somehow, she forced herself to do so. She couldn't play hooky herself. After working for several hours, she stopped for a break, rubbing her tired eyes. Her stomach growled since she hadn't had time to get any breakfast. She looked at the clock. It was lunchtime. She considered grabbing a bite to eat in the mess. However, she also figured Nathan would probably be there as well. She didn't feel like seeing him. Plus, she had Meredith's warning to think about.

She decided to work a little longer, deciding she'd wait until the mess hall wouldn't be so crowded. But, her stomach growled louder, protesting her decision. She sighed. "Fine, we'll have it your way," she muttered. She pushed her petri dishes aside and headed for the mess. On her way, she justified her decision to herself. "I can't possibly avoid Nathan every second. We're bound to run into one another at some point. It's a small boat. Meredith will understand."

But the minute she walked into the crowded mess, she noticed Nathan, Meredith, and Admiral Noyce sitting together. Meredith stared daggers at her once she noticed her. Kristin pretended not to notice and went to see what type of dishes were available today. She chose a sandwich, a salad, and a cup of coffee. Once she had her tray in hand, Bill Noyce waved to her. She walked over to their table.

"We have an extra seat here, Doctor. Why don't you join us?" Bill offered.

Kristin smiled gently, but shook her head. "Thank you, but I was going to eat in the lab today. I have a ton of work to do."

"Oh, surely, you can take a ten minute break," Noyce pressed. "Meredith was just saying how bad she feels that you and she haven't gotten a chance to get to know one another yet."

Kristin looked at Meredith, who gave her that same saccharine sweet smile she'd given her earlier and nodded. "Yes, you really should join us." But, then, she gave Kristin a glare that said the opposite.

She shook her head once again. "I'm really sorry, but I have to get my work done if I want to attend the party. And, unfortunately, it won't do itself. I'll have to take a rain check." Then, she added, "But, I promise we'll get together before you have to leave, Meredith."

"Oh, I'm certain we will, Doctor. See you later, perhaps?" Meredith asked kindly.

"Perhaps." Then, she said, "Admiral, Captain," giving them each a cordial nod before exiting the mess.

She headed back to the nearly empty lab and sat back down near her petri dishes and ate while she was recording her algae data. She was so engrossed in her work that she didn't hear the footsteps behind her. Suddenly, she felt a hand on her shoulder that made her jump.

"I'm sorry; I didn't mean to startle you," Nathan said.

Kristin breathed deeply trying to calm herself down. "That seems to be happening a lot today," she admitted. "What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be with Meredith?"

"That's why I'm here. You know, you've really hurt her. Just because you're mad at me, don't take it out on her," Nathan said sternly.

"I've really hurt her? Nathan, you have no idea-"

"You were less than pleasant back there. In fact, I really think you ought to go back in there and apologize," Nathan scolded.

"Apologize? What for? For being honest? As much as you'd like to think you're the reason I'm not eating in the mess, you're highly mistaken. The reason I'm not eating in the mess is because I have work to do. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'd like to get back to it."

"So, that's how it is then?"

Kristin sighed. "I thought we already decided that this morning? You do what you like, and I'll do what I like, no obligations to one another, no harm, no foul. You really shouldn't be here."

"Excuse me? This is my boat, and I'll go wherever I damn well please! And, another thing-"

"Nathan, pookie," Meredith called, appearing in the doorway. "I'd wondered where you'd gone. What are you doing here?"

"I was just talking to the doctor about her work," Nathan said. "But, I guess I'm finished."

"Well, maybe the doctor can join us for dinner?" Meredith asked, the same overly-sweet smile plastered on her face.

"I'll have to see," Kristin said quietly.

And so, Meredith gently pulled on Nathan's arm, guiding out of the lab. He looked back at Kristin as they left.

Kristin merely shook her head sadly and sat back down at the table where her petri dishes were laid out. She sighed and got back to work.

After a while her PAL beeped. "Westphalen," she answered.

"Doc?" Lucas' voice sounded distressed.

"Lucas? Is something wrong?" she asked, concern lacing her words.

"I…could you just come to my room? Please?"

"I'll be right there," she promised.

Kristin quickly rushed to Lucas' room, not wasting a second. She found him standing just outside his door, looking frightened.

She immediately pulled him into a tight hug. "Are you alright?"

He nodded. "I…I'm fine…well, physically anyway. I was with Ben most of the day, looking through costume catalogs so we could decide what I wanted him to order. And, I just returned to my room…and, well…you'd better prepare yourself." He opened the door and let her enter. He walked in behind her.

"Oh, my God!" she gasped. "What happened here?"

Lucas' walls were covered in what looked like blood. The words, "Die, die, die," were written everywhere along with several pictures of stick figures, one holding a knife stabbing the other stick figure.

"I don't know. I'm all for pranks, but this is a little…disturbing. I really don't think Ben would do something so...heinous. Besides, we were together all day. There's no way he could have done this, is there?" Lucas said nervously.

"I honestly don't know, but we're going to find out. Come on."


	7. Chapter 7

Lucas and Kristin headed to Ben's room and knocked on the door. A moment later, Ben answered.

"Hello, Doctor," Ben said with a smile. "Have you come to order your costume?"

"No, thank you. We need to talk," she said impatiently. "Can we come in?"

Ben stepped aside, feeling a little confused. "What's this about, Lucas?"

"Don't talk to him, talk to me," Kristin said firmly. "I think you've done quite enough to him, and it's time to pick on someone your own size."

"What?"

Kristin sighed. Obviously, Ben wasn't going to admit he did anything. She was going to have to do this the hard way. "Apparently, you've been practicing your artistic skills."

"All over my walls," Lucas added.

"What are you talking about, Lucas? I was with you all day," Ben countered.

"Yeah, since nine. But what about when I was working in the lab? Did you do it then?"

"Do what then? I really don't know what you're talking about," Ben said innocently.

"Fine, we'll have it your way. Follow us, and we'll show you," Kristin told him.

They walked back to Lucas' room. Ben gasped when he saw Lucas' room. "I didn't do this," he said after a few minutes. Then, he added, "I'm hurt that you think I would."

"Really?" Lucas asked.

"Would I lie to you?"

Lucas and Kristin both crossed their arms across their chests and gave him a look.

"Okay, so maybe I've told a fib or two in the past…but I didn't do this. I swear it."

Kristin sighed. She really couldn't tell one way or the other if it was the truth or not. She wanted to believe Ben. Sure, Ben was a lot of things. He was a trouble maker, but he wasn't malicious. If Ben did do this, he meant it only as a joke, although everyone else failed to see the humor in it. And if it wasn't Ben, did the perpetrator have ill intentions? She wasn't sure. She had to make a decision. "I'm going to have to inform the captain." She pulled out her PAL and started to do so, but Lucas protested.

"If the captain finds out, Ben will be punished. Isn't there another way?" Lucas asked worriedly.

Kristin really loved Lucas at times like this. Even though the prank had poor taste written all over it, he didn't want Ben to suffer any consequences for it. But, she couldn't keep Nathan in the dark. He was the captain, and for good reason. She wasn't sure how to go about resolving this. "The captain will be able to decide if Mr. Krieg is telling the truth or not. Frankly, I'm not sure." She turned to Ben. "I certainly want to believe you, but with your past record, it's difficult. It's nothing personal."

"I understand," Ben replied. "I'd think it was me too."

A short time later, Nathan showed up. Kristin was pleased to see him Meredith-free for a change. When he saw the messages and the pictures scrawled across Lucas' walls, he turned to Ben. "I thought I made it clear these pranks were going to end while you're on duty."

"You did, Sir, but I didn't do this."

"Then, who did?"

Ben shrugged his shoulders. "If I did it, don't you think there'd be evidence in my room or something?"

"Then, you won't mind us checking," Nathan said.

They followed Ben back to his room and started searching.

"I promise you, you won't find anything," Ben said.

After a moment, Kristin noticed some boxes stacked up in a corner. "What are these?"

"Oh, those are the medical supplies you had ordered. I was just about to deliver them when you came by," Ben explained.

Kristin inspected them and noticed that one of them had been cut open. She pulled the box down to the floor so she could see inside. Nathan looked over her shoulder. "What's in there?"

"It's blood," she said. But, as she looked through the bags of blood, she noticed the supply was short. "There are a few bags missing," she noted.

They all looked at Ben accusingly. Lucas kept searching and came up with a paintbrush, its bristles stained red.

"I'd never steal your medical supplies, Doctor, especially not blood. And that paintbrush is not mine."

Nathan turned to Lucas and Kristin. "Why don't you two go sit in the ward room for the time being? I'd still like to talk to you. I need a few moments alone with Mr. Krieg here."

Lucas and Kristin exited the room, Kristin's arm protectively wrapped around Lucas' shoulders as they left.

After they were gone, Nathan continued, "I don't think you can talk your way out of this one. The evidence is damning."

"But-"

"No buts, please. You'll clean Lucas' room, top to bottom. I don't want a single speck of blood left on his walls, is that understood?"

"Yes, Sir," Ben muttered, realizing his protests were futile.

"And no more pranks…period. They were funny at first, but this is going too far, if you haven't figured it out."

Ben sighed. "Yes, Sir."

"And if you don't heed my orders, there will be worse repercussions. Just don't test me."

"Yes, Sir," Ben said once again.

"Good. Now get to work, Lieutenant." With that, Nathan left the room and headed to the ward room. Once there, Kristin and Lucas looked at him expectantly. "It's all taken care of," he assured them. "Mr. Krieg is cleaning your room as we speak, and there will not be any more reoccurrences. I made that clear."

Lucas nodded. "I'm glad to hear that. Uh, is it alright if I supervise? I really don't trust Ben alone with my things. All my computer equipment," he explained.

"Yeah, sure," Nathan told him. "Just stay out of trouble."

Lucas shot him a smile as he paused in the door. "Don't I always?" Without waiting for an answer, he hurried off to his room.

"Thank you for that," Kristin said once they were alone. "I wasn't sure how to handle it."

"Well, that's what I wanted to talk to you about," Nathan began. "I'm not too pleased about how you handled things."

"What do you mean?"

"You should have called me right away, the moment you found out about this. Why didn't you?" Nathan asked.

"I…I'm not sure. Lucas called me, and well…I thought we could handle it. Besides, Meredith's been attached to your hip; I didn't want to disturb you," she added.

"It always comes back to her, doesn't it? What happened to keeping our relationship strictly professional?" Nathan accused.

"I'm trying, but it's a little difficult when she's always popping around the corner." She thought about telling him what Meredith had done, but she opted not to for the time being. Nathan would have never believed her anyway, she knew. After a moment of silence, she said, "I did call you as soon as I thought of it."

"Well, I'm glad you were there for Lucas," he admitted. "If I can't be, you're always my first choice."

In spite of everything that had happened between them in the past couple of days, she smiled at that. "Thank you."

Nathan smiled back at her. "I know we've been at each other's throats lately, but I was thinking we could try to compromise, put that behind us. I know you don't care for Meredith, and I understand. You were right; it's really no different than when Malcolm was here. I know we didn't plan this, but now we're going to have to deal with it. It's only for the week, and well…I just want you to know that I'll be letting Meredith down easy." Then, he got a little closer to her and whispered, "Nothing's happened, and I am not going to let it. I'm not in love with her."

Kristin felt her breath catch in her throat a bit and her heart skip a beat. "And just who are you in love with?" she whispered back. She brought her face closer to his, her lips just mere centimeters from his.

"Well, she's-"

At that moment, there was a loud knock on the door, causing Kristin and Nathan to separate.

"Damn," Nathan muttered as he gave Kristin an apologetic look as he headed to the door.

"Nathan," Meredith said. "I've been looking all over for you." She walked in without being asked. She took one look at Kristin and noticed the doctor's red face. "Am I interrupting something?" Her voice had a hint of accusation in it, although she tried to remain calm.

"We were just having a meeting," Nathan explained. Then, he added, "I thought you were with the admiral. I can't be with you every second, you know."

She nodded. "I know, but you told me I could watch you on the bridge. I was there, and you weren't."

"I don't just stay on the bridge and bark orders from my chair all day long," he told her. "Sometimes, I have to take care of issues with my crew as well."

Meredith hung her head slightly. "I understand." Then she put on a slight pout. "But, I just wanted to see you in action, see how the wonderful Captain Bridger works."

Kristin rolled her eyes. It was quite obvious that Meredith was flirting shamelessly with Nathan.

Meredith turned to Kristin. "Hello again. Have you found a costume for the party yet?" Her voice was sweet, and she was wearing that same plastic smile she always wore.

Kristin quickly composed herself and shook her head. "Not yet. I've been so busy, I haven't had time to think about it much."

"Well, Nathan and I have excellent costumes picked out, haven't we, pookie?"

Kristin swallowed hard, trying to curb the wave of nausea that crept up upon Meredith uttering the word, 'pookie'. "Cruella Deville and her lap dog?" she asked. She knew the moment she'd said it that she shouldn't have. She didn't care what Meredith thought, but she and Nathan were on good terms again. She knew that comment probably had just ruined it.

Meredith laughed, however. "Maybe we'll save that idea for next year." She wrapped her arm around Nathan's. "Are you finished in here?"

He looked at Kristin and gave her a small smile. He didn't seem upset about the Cruella Deville comment at all, to Kristin's relief. He nodded. "I suppose we can always finish this later, Doctor."

She returned his smile and nodded back. "I'll be looking forward to it." Then, she added, "And don't worry about Lucas. I'll check on him later."

"Thank you," he said appreciatively. "And you'll give me a report when you have a free moment."

"Of course."

Meredith didn't wait another moment. She pulled on Nathan's arm. "Let's go."

"Bye," Nathan muttered as he headed out the door.

Kristin sighed. "Well, at least he almost said it." She turned and looked at the clock. It was nearly four. She decided to go back to the lab and pack up for the day. Dr. Levin would handle the rest. She then headed back to Lucas' room to check on the boy, as promised. She knocked on the door.

"Come in," she heard Lucas say.

She entered. The room looked much cleaner. She noticed Ben was working on the center wall, scrubbing the aqua tubes that had previously been painted with the bloody pictures. "How are things going in here?" she asked.

"Better," Lucas said with a smile. "And, good news. I picked out my costume." He showed her a picture in the catalog. "What do you think?"

"I think it suits you," she said. It was a picture of a Neo costume from The Matrix.

Lucas nodded. "You don't think a computer hacker is too…common?"

She shook her head. "Not a computer hacker who happens to be the one to save humanity."

Lucas smiled. He ran a hand through his hair. "I'm considering dying my hair black though."

Kristin gave him a disgusted look. "Don't you dare. Even those temporary dyes don't wash out right away. You don't need to dye your hair."

"A wig?"

She shook her head again. "You don't need one of those either. It'll be fine." She turned to Ben. "How are you doing, Mr. Krieg?"

"My shoulders are cramping from all the scrubbing, but other than that, I'm fine. Thank you for asking."

"So, you're finished with these catalogs then?" she asked Lucas. "I need to find one for myself."

He handed Kristin the catalogs. "They're all yours."

"Thank you. Now, if you need anything, you let me know, hm? And stay out of trouble, Mr. Krieg."

"Don't worry about that, Doctor," Ben commented.

"Thanks, Doc. See you later."

She gave them each a nod, satisfied that all was fine with them. Then, she headed to her room to relax a bit. She opened the door and saw the most horrifying sight. She let out a bone-chilling scream.


	8. Chapter 8

Lucas and Ben heard the scream from down the hall and ran out of the room as fast as they could to see what the matter was. The doctor was standing in her doorway, her back turned to them.

Ben placed a hand on her shoulder that made her jump and cry out again. She turned to them, a look of fright on her face, all color drained from it.

"Sshh," Ben soothed. "It's okay."

She stepped aside and merely pointed toward her room, indicating the reason for her scream.

The two young men looked inside.

"Jesus!" Ben exclaimed. There, hanging in the center of the room was a life-sized doll that had been disemboweled, its innards spilling out of it. Although it was a dummy, the doll looked very real on first inspection. Not only that, it was hanging by fake intestines and there was fake blood dripping off of it. As if that wasn't disturbing enough, the doll had Kristin's face taped to it.

"Oh my God!" Lucas echoed.

"I think I'm going to be nauseous," Kristin said quietly, holding her stomach.

Ben closed the door and put his arm around her. "Let's get you away from here." He ushered her back to Lucas' room, and Lucas followed.

"Why don't you have a seat?" Ben asked, helping Kristin to the bed. He turned to Lucas. "You'd better call the captain."

Lucas nodded. He already had his PAL in-hand, ready to do that anyway, knowing something strange was going on. This time, he knew Ben couldn't have done that. He'd been with him the whole time. There was no way he could have done that.

Nathan didn't waste any time in getting to Lucas' room. "Are you alright?" he asked Kristin, concern lacing every word.

She shrugged her shoulders. "I'm not sure yet," she admitted.

Nathan put an arm around her. She was trembling. "You're really shaken up," he noted. He turned to Lucas. "Stay with the doctor. Ben and I will clean it up."

As the two left, Lucas sat down next to Kristin and took her hand in his and gave it a squeeze. She gave him a small smile.

A short time later, Nathan and Ben returned. "All taken care of," he assured her.

"Who do you think did that?" Lucas asked.

Nathan looked at Ben. "Well, I think it's safe to say that Mr. Krieg is innocent this time."

"I was with him the whole time," Lucas confirmed.

"I think this calls for some more drastic action," Nathan said, thinking out loud. "I want you three to stay together. I want everyone on the bridge in twenty minutes for a meeting." He gave Kristin's shoulder a reassuring squeeze before he left.

"What do you think's going to happen?" Lucas asked.

Ben shrugged his shoulders. "Beat's me." He turned back to the doctor. "Do you need anything out of your room? We'd accompany you."

She shook her head. "I was just going to my room to relax a bit and look at the costume catalogs, which I seem to have dropped. I'm sorry."

"Don't sweat it. I have some more. Do you want to look at them? It might help ease your mind," Ben offered.

Kristin shook her head. "Thank you, but I'm just not in the mood right now. Maybe later." She watched as Ben went back to scrubbing the last of the blood-stained aqua tubes. After a few minutes, she walked over to him. "You didn't do this to Lucas' walls, did you?"

Ben looked at her and shook his head. "The captain didn't really give me a chance to say otherwise. All the evidence was in my room."

"I didn't help the situation either." She grabbed a sponge and started scrubbing as well.

Ben shook his head. "You shouldn't be helping me; you didn't do this."

"Neither did you."

"You should go sit and relax."

"I can't," she admitted. "At least this way, it will take my mind off of that…that…thing. You probably wouldn't know this, but I tend to clean when I get upset. Believe me, this is what I want to do."

Ben nodded. "You know, Katie's the same way." He turned to Lucas. "Let this be a lesson to you; another reason why women are weird."

Kristin shot him a look, but her eyes twinkled. "Weird, hm? I can think of a lot of things men do that are just as weird."

"I'll give you that," Ben admitted.

Lucas walked over and grabbed a sponge as well. "So why'd you take the fall?" He started scrubbing too.

Ben shrugged his shoulders. "Have you tried arguing with the captain when he's angry?"

Lucas nodded. "Yeah, I see what you mean. We'll talk to him for you."

"I'm not worried about it."

The three worked in silence, joking a bit here and there about men and women, but not talking about anything in particular. The mood was light, and it did make the three of them feel better, especially Kristin. It wasn't long before the walls were blood free.

"There," Kristin said proudly, "all clean."

"Thanks, guys," Lucas said. He looked at his watch. "We'd better get to the bridge."

So, the three of them left the room and headed to the bridge. Nearly the whole crew was there, including Meredith and Admiral Noyce. Nathan instructed Lucas and Ben to go stand with the others. He pulled Kristin aside.

"Feeling better?"

"A little," she admitted.

"Well, I'm glad of that, but there's bad news," he said soberly. "All the surveillance cameras have been disarmed."

"Disarmed?"

Nathan nodded. "All the power cords were cut. Apparently, it had been done hours ago. No evidence of who painted Lucas' room, and no evidence of who entered your room." Then, he added, "It's being repaired as we speak, but that doesn't help us at the moment."

"So, you know it wasn't Ben?"

"I knew it to begin with," he admitted. "But, I guess I wanted to believe it was him since all the evidence pointed that way, and it was the easiest scenario. I don't want to think there's someone on this boat who's threatening the others. And hopefully, they're just threats. I'd hate to think if it were anything worse."

"So, what are we going to do?"

He gave her a reassuring smile. "That's why I called everyone here. But, stick around afterwards, hm?"

She nodded and went to stand with the others, waiting for what the captain had to say.

After everyone had assembled, Nathan started to speak, "I know most of you are wondering why I've called you all here. We all know Halloween is only five days away, and I know everyone is excited about it. First of all, there is a lot of buzz about the upcoming party. And, we've all worked very hard so far this year, and I do want everyone to have fun. But, some of you have taken things a little far. Some of the pranks were funny, but now, the pranks are going too far." He paused slightly. "And, I don't even know if the last two were pranks or threats. So, for your protection, there are a few new rules in order. First of all, no more pranks…period. And, everyone will be doubling up on rooms."

There was an audible groan from several crew members.

"I know, I know," Nathan said. "But it's only as a precaution. All roommates will be of the same sex. Do not go anywhere on the boat alone, and everyone must be in their rooms by twenty-one hundred hours. No exceptions."

There was a choir of protests once again.

"I'm sure things can go back to normal after the holiday," Nathan explained after things had died down once again. "Are there any questions?"

When no one raised their hand, he nodded. "All dismissed then. Please take the time to find a roommate. If you have any trouble doing so, please let me know."

As everyone departed, Kristin approached Nathan. "Well, that went over well," she said dryly.

"It's the best I could come up with on short notice. Admiral Noyce suggested the roommates."

She nodded. "We'll deal with it. Um, what did you want to talk to me about?"

"I just wanted to know if you noticed anything out of the ordinary before you entered your room. Did you notice anything at all?"

She shook her head. "I wasn't even near my room until that moment. It could have been anyone."

Kristin felt a tap on her shoulder that made her jump. She turned.

"Sorry to interrupt," Katie said apologetically. "I was just wondering if you'd wanted to room with me."

Kristin smiled. "Of course. Your room or mine?"

"I think yours is a little bigger," Katie said. "If you don't mind."

"I'll help you move your things later, if you'd like."

"Great, well, see you in a bit then." With that, Katie left.

Kristin turned back to Nathan. "Uh, so…"

"Oh, Nathan," Meredith called. "Pookie, I need help finding a roommate."

"You go on ahead," Nathan said to Kristin. "I'll see you later."

She nodded, somewhat grateful to get away from Meredith. She noticed the bridge was nearly empty now. "I'm already breaking one rule," she muttered, considering she was going to be alone. But, Ben came from around the corner.

"There you are," he said. He offered his arm. "I've come to escort you, milady."

She chuckled and took his arm. "How chivalrous."

"Well, Katie sent me. She told me to wait for you. Lucas is helping her pack some things so she can move into your room. Then, I'll help Lucas; he's staying with me," Ben explained.

"And we'll be just down the hall from each other then," Kristin noted.

"And we'll be checking on you two," Ben assured her. "We won't let anything happened to either of you."

Kristin smiled. There were times she'd often wondered what Katie had seen in him, for sometimes it seemed unfathomable that the two had been married. But, it was times like this, she knew exactly what she had seen in him. Ben Krieg was charming and kind and dependable, for the most part. "Thank you. That means a lot to hear you say that."

"Call it me trying to make up for all the grief I've caused you in the past."

She shook her head. "You haven't been that much of a bother," she assured him.

"So, you managed to find her," Katie said when she saw them. "I hope you don't mind," she said to Kristin. "Ben and Lucas had told me what happened."

"Not at all; it just feels good to know I have such good friends here." And so, the four of them helped Katie carry her items to Kristin's room. A cot was brought in for Katie as well. As Kristin and Katie were unpacking things in Kristin's room, Lucas and Ben headed to Lucas' room.

As the two women were reorganizing Kristin's room to fit Katie's things in, Katie asked, "So, have you found a costume yet?"

Kristin shook her head. "My costume-hunting was interrupted by the drama." Then, she added, "I suppose it doesn't really matter anyway. I have no one to go with."

"The captain hasn't asked you?"

Kristin gave her a look. "Why would you think that?"

Katie smiled. "Don't think I haven't noticed the way you two look at each other. I know you two have feelings for one another. Don't worry; I haven't told anyone. I think it's sweet. And, I don't think anyone else knows. But, I'm a woman. We're more intuitive."

Kristin blushed slightly. "We haven't actually committed to one another yet. I guess we're taking it slow. And our guest is throwing a wrench in that matter at the moment."

"Oh, you mean Meredith? She's something, isn't she?" Katie said sarcastically. "She tends to come on a little strong, doesn't she?"

"You could say that again," Kristin replied. "And she's all over Nathan like white on rice."

"He doesn't feel the same way about her, does he?"

"I don't think so. I mean, he says he doesn't, but we've had a few disagreements about her already. I'm just trying to hold my tongue for the moment, but I won't stay silent for much longer."

"I wouldn't either," Katie said. She finally put her last outfit in the dresser. "Well, believe it or not, we've done it."

"Finally."

"Should we see if the boys need help?"

Kristin nodded. But before they could leave, there was a knock on the door.

Katie opened it.

"Care for some company?" Ben asked.

"We brought gifts," Lucas said, holding up a pizza and some soft drinks.

"Where did you guys get pizza?" Katie asked.

"We cannot reveal our secrets," Ben said with a smile.

"How did you two finish with Lucas' room so fast?" Kristin asked.

"I can answer that," Katie cut in. "They probably just threw everything in the dresser, without rhyme or reason. I doubt they folded a thing."

Ben looked at her a little sheepishly. "You know me too well." He handed Kristin a new set of catalogs. "I thought you might want some help choosing a costume."

She nodded. Lucas set the pizza down in the middle of the table, and they ate and looked through the catalogs together.


	9. Chapter 9

"What about Scarlett O'Hara?" Katie suggested.

Kristin made a face. "Without a Rhett Butler?"

Ben used his best southern accent. "Frankly, my dear, I don't give a damn."

They all laughed.

"Thank you for the offer, Ben, but I think you're a little young," Kristin said. "Besides, the costume seems a little much. All those skirts and petticoats; I'll be roasting all evening."

"You know, Doc, I could use a Trinity," Lucas offered. He showed her the costume in the catalog.

"It's sweet of you to offer, but I don't know about all that leather."

Katie noticed Lucas' disappointed face. "Tell you what, Lucas. I'll be your Trinity."

"Really?"

"Sure; why not? Besides, no one wants to go to a party alone, do they?"

Lucas nodded. "We'll have a blast."

Kristin absentmindedly flipped through the catalog in front of her. She was happy that Lucas had someone to go with, but she felt a little disappointed she would have no one. Katie noticed the look on her face.

"Ben, why don't you take the doctor? Just as friends, of course." Katie suggested.

Ben looked at Kristin. "That's an idea. What do you say, Doc?"

She thought for a moment. "Well, it's not a terrible idea, I suppose. But we'll have to find costumes that suit us."

"Of course. And I promise to be a perfect gentleman."

She smiled at him. "You're being sweet to me, but I appreciate it." She turned to the others. "I really appreciate all of you. You've all helped me take my mind off of what happened earlier."

Katie placed her hand on top of hers and gave it a gentle squeeze. "We're just glad to do it."

"So," Lucas broke in, "what kind of costumes would suit Ben and the doc?" He started leafing through one of the catalogs. "Romeo and Juliet?" he said with a smirk.

Kristin gave him a look. "I think we're both a little old to play those star-crossed lovers. They were closer to your age."

Katie followed suit and leafed through another magazine. "Dorothy and the cowardly lion?"

Kristin rolled her eyes. "The cowardly lion might fit Mr. Krieg, but I am way too old to play Dorothy."

Katie gave her arm a slight push. "You keep saying you're too old, but I really don't know how old you are. You definitely don't look that old."

Kristin blushed slightly. "Well that might be, but I'm definitely older than all of you. Dorothy is just out of the question. I think my liking for pigtails died when I turned twelve."

Katie gave her a smile. "Fair enough; no Dorothy costume."

Lucas smiled. "What about the wicked witch and her flying monkey?"

Kristin gave him a glare. "I don't think so."

"And I don't appreciate looking like an idiot," Ben added.

"Hey, if the shoe fits," Lucas teased.

"How about Lucas and I leave you two to decide? Come on, Lucas. Let's go find something else to do," Katie said.

"Alright," Lucas agreed. "We can look at my sunglasses collection. I think I have the perfect sunglasses for your costume."

"You have a sunglasses collection?"

"There are a ton of things you don't know about me," Lucas said as they left the room.

"That was very kind of Katie," Kristin commented once she and Ben were alone. "I'm just happy you two treat him like the rest of the crew. He needs that."

"Yeah, I know what you mean. So, do you have any idea of what you'd want to go as?"

"Absolutely none. I just know the ones everyone has mentioned so far wouldn't be right for either of us. I guess I'm just looking for the perfect one."

"Well, what do you like? What are your favorite movies? I'm sure there much be some favorite character you've always wanted to play?" Ben noted.

"That's a good start." She started looking through the catalog in front of her again. "I'll keep that in mind. What are your favorite characters?"

Ben smiled. "I asked you first. Besides, I think it should be ladies' choice. You decide, and I'll go along with it."

"Now I know you're just trying to be sweet to me. You are allowed to have a say too."

"No, really, I have no idea what to pick. I think it's your job to decide and mine to go along with it," Ben explained.

"Well…" Kristin said thoughtfully. "I suppose there are a few characters I've always been fond of."

"Go on," Ben encouraged.

Kristin shook her head. "It's silly."

"No, just tell me."

Kristin sighed. "Well, you probably don't know this, but I studied drama before I decided to be a doctor. Well, our drama department was putting on a production of Grease. I practiced for weeks before auditions. I wanted to be Sandy so badly."

"So, what happened?"

"Well, on the night of auditions, I found out there were scores of other girls who wanted to be Sandy just as badly as I did. When my name was called, I got up on that stage, and I sang my heart out. When I was finished, the director took me aside. I thought he was going to compliment me on my audition, but, instead, he chastised me. He basically told me I'd never have a future in acting. So, I went home, cried my eyes out for about a week. Then, I realized he was right. That's when I decided to change my career aspirations…and here I am today."

"Well, I think that director was a jerk," Ben said.

Kristin smiled. "You've never seen me act. And the director made it clear I couldn't carry a tune. And, I think it's a good thing I left that stage when I did. I'd have never been happy in the limelight. And besides, I would have never met all of you."

It was Ben's turn to smile. "Well, your wish will come true." He flipped through the catalog in his hand until he came to the one with Sandy dressed in black with a leather jacket. "Here."

"I don't know…"

"Why not? Besides, you're not the only one with acting in your background. I was in my high school production of Grease."

"You were? Did you play Danny?"

Ben shook his head. "No, Kenickie. I wanted to play Danny though. I had a huge crush on Emily Jones, and she was our Sandy. I wanted to play Danny so I could kiss her. But, well, that part went to Erik Hanson, the star quarterback. He got Emily…but I guess that's not so bad. A few years later, I met Katie, and I've never given Emily another thought."

"Well, I suppose then I have to let you be Danny. I can't let your dream die."

"You'll make a much better Sandy than Emily any day."

Kristin blushed. "There's no need to flatter me anymore. You've gotten your wish."

"I mean it," Ben insisted.

She simply smiled and nodded. "Well, maybe we should tell Katie and Lucas the good news."

Ben opened the door. "Ladies first." He allowed her to step through the door and followed her down the hall to his room.

"Well, we've decided," Kristin said when they entered the room.

"Woo-hoo," Lucas cried. "Congratulations."

"Well, don't keep us in suspense," Katie pressed.

"Danny and Sandy from Grease," Ben said proudly.

"Oh, great choice," Katie said. "I can help you tease your hair, Doc."

"Thanks, I'm probably going to need it."

"And you know, I have a pair of hoop earrings that would go great with this outfit. You can borrow them if you'd like. And, I'll do your make-up too."

Lucas rolled his eyes. "If you two are going to talk make-up and earrings, I think you need to go back to your room. This," he said, motioning around the room, "is a man cave. Let's not taint it."

"Come on," Katie said to Kristin. "Let's not spoil the man cave." She laughed and said, "Goodnight, guys."

"Goodnight," Lucas and Ben said.

"Goodnight, Danny," Kristin said with a wink. "Goodnight, Lucas."

"Night, Doc."

"Goodnight, Sandy," Ben called.

Once back in Kristin's room, Katie and Kristin continued to discuss their costumes.

"The captain's not going to be able to take his eyes off you in that outfit, you know," Katie teased.

"You don't think I'm too old for a pair of hot pants and a leather jacket?" she asked worriedly.

"Of course not! And quit saying you're old. It's only a number."

"I have to admit, I am kind of excited about it," Kristin said. "I mean, about the party," she added.

"Right," Katie teased. "I just hope these pranks or threats or whatever they are have stopped so we can enjoy the party."

Kristin nodded. "Me too. Well, I don't know about you, but it's been a long day. I think I'm going to turn in."

"I'm tired too," Katie confirmed. "Well, goodnight."

Kristin lay down. Goodnight, dear."

It wasn't long before Katie fell asleep. Kristin, however, didn't sleep as well as she would have liked. Every time she closed her eyes, she saw that doll with her face taped to it. It made her feel uneasy and frightened. After a time of tossing and turning, however, she finally did fall into a restless sleep.

But something in the middle of the night woke her. It was a strange sound. A creaking of the door perhaps? Her eyes popped open. Did she hear footsteps? She sat up and looked around, but she couldn't see a thing in the darkness of the room. "Katie?" she whispered. "A-are you awake?"

But, the only response she heard was Katie's quiet breathing. Kristin sat on her bed, hugging her knees to her chest, trying to determine if she heard anything at all or if she had just imagined it. After a short time of listening, however, she realized she must have just been imagining it. "I must have been dreaming," she muttered.

She lay back down and tried to go back to sleep. Just as she was falling back to sleep, she heard strange noises once again. Strange, rustling noises. She sat up once again. "Is someone there?"

Again, she received no answer. She reached over to turn on the bedside lamp. Suddenly, however, she felt a hand on her arm. She screamed.

Immediately, Katie awoke and went to her. She turned on the light. "Doc? Doc, it's me. It's alright."

Kristin took a few deep breaths to calm herself. "Oh…I…I'm sorry. I thought there was someone else in here. I heard noises."

"I know," Katie said, putting her arm around Kristin. "I'm not always used to the noises on this submarine either. We're oblivious to it during the day, but at night, it's a different story. And, with what happened earlier, you were probably just having a nightmare."

After a few minutes, Kristin finally nodded. "I guess you're right. I'm sorry I woke you."

"Aw, it's no big deal," Katie told her. "You okay now?"

"Yes, I'm fine," Kristin insisted. "Thank you."

Katie walked back to her cot. "Get some sleep. See you in the morning."

"Goodnight," Kristin said. She walked over to the door, just to double-check that it was closed. Upon seeing that it was, she turned off the light and lay back down herself.

She tried to sleep, but she couldn't get the thought out of her head that there was someone in the room. She knew she felt a hand on her arm. She knew she heard footsteps. Sure, the seaQuest did make odd noises at night. The tinking of metal could be heard at times, odd creaks. But, the noises she heard weren't those of the submarine. They were something else. She knew it.

Kristin awoke to the alarm buzzing. She didn't know when she finally drifted off, but she only felt like she'd slept about ten minutes. She rolled over and shut the alarm off.

"Morning," Katie said cheerfully, coming out of the bathroom, already showered and dressed.

"Morning," Kristin muttered as she crawled out of bed. "You're up bright and early."

Katie smiled. "I'm always up early. Besides, I wanted to be out of the bathroom so I didn't hold you up. It's all free. I'll wait for you so we can head to breakfast together…you know, the rule about not going anywhere alone."

Kristin nodded. "I'm going to need coffee today. I won't be long." She quickly headed to the bathroom. Fifteen minutes, later, she emerged, washed, dressed, and ready.

"All set?" Katie asked.

"Just let me grab my PAL," Kristin said. She turned to the bedside table, where she always kept it when she was in her room. But, to her dismay, it wasn't there. She immediately began looking around on the floor, but it wasn't there either. "Uh, Katie? Have you seen my PAL?"


	10. Chapter 10

"The last I saw it, it was on that table," Katie said, pointing to the bedside table.

"That's where I always leave it, but it's not here." Kristin was slightly panicked now.

"It didn't just get up and walk away," Katie assured her. "It has to be here somewhere." She walked over to help Kristin search for the missing PAL.

After a minute, Kristin paused. "What if it did?"

"What?"

"What if it did walk away? I told you I thought there was someone in here last night," Kristin explained.

"Doc, I-"

"I know you don't believe me, that you think I was dreaming, but I wasn't," Kristin said quietly. "You and I both know my PAL was here when we went to bed. And, now it's missing; neither one of us moved it."

"Well, I know I didn't. I'm not accusing you, but are you sure you didn't just misplace it? You were pretty shaken up; you had that nightmare."

"It wasn't a nightmare," Kristin insisted. "There was someone here. I need to inform the captain. Are you coming?"

Katie shrugged her shoulders and followed the doctor out of the room. They headed to the captain's quarters and knocked on the door. Admiral Noyce answered, still dressed in his bathrobe. He was rooming with Nathan.

"Oh, good morning, ladies. What can I do for you?" he greeted.

"Is Nathan available?" Kristin asked.

"Actually, he already left. He said something about checking to see that the surveillance cameras had all been repaired before heading to the bridge. And, I'm sure he'd be stopping in the mess before that too. He left about twenty minutes ago. Is there anything I can help with?"

Kristin shook her head. "Thank you for offering, but we really need to talk to Nathan. Perhaps we'll see you later?’"

"Later," Noyce called as he closed the door.

Kristin sighed. "Well, where do you think we should check first?"

"The mess first," Katie replied. "We can at least grab something to eat if he's not there. Then, we'll head to the bridge."

Kristin nodded her agreement, and they both headed for the mess.

Luckily, they did find Nathan there. Kristin and Katie headed in his direction.

"Morning," Nathan greeted. However, he noticed the look on Kristin's face. "What's wrong?"

"Someone was in our room last night. And, now my PAL is missing. I think whoever was there took it," Kristin told him.

Nathan shook his head. "The surveillance crew already reviewed the tapes from last night. No suspicious activity was noted. Are you sure you didn't just misplace your PAL?"

Kristin sighed. "Yes, I'm sure," she insisted through gritted teeth.

"So, you both saw someone in your room?"

"Uh, I was asleep," Katie said quietly. She gave Kristin an apologetic look as she continued. "I can't say if there was anyone there or not. I didn't see anyone. But, in the doctor's defense, I did see her place her PAL unit on her bedside table. This morning, it wasn't there."

Nathan nodded. "Look, we'll just get a new PAL. I'm sure the other one will turn up eventually."

"Wait a minute," Kristin interrupted, "you're just going to let this slide?"

"Let what slide? Think about it; every crew member has a PAL unit. Why would anyone want yours?" Nathan countered.

"I…I don't know. Maybe it's to make sure I wouldn't have one. And, we have two guests who don't have PAL units."

"What are you insinuating, Doctor? Do you really think Admiral Noyce or General Reese would-?" Nathan's voice was growing louder.

"Oh, Admiral Noyce certainly wouldn't, but that conniving Meredith certainly would!" Kristin's voice grew louder as well.

Everyone else in the mess grew quiet. All eyes were on the captain and doctor.

Katie looked around. "Uh…guys? Maybe you should take this somewhere else?" she said gently.

Nathan and Kristin finally noticed they were being watched.

"Alright, people, back to work. Nothing to see here," Nathan ordered.

Everyone quickly went back to what they were doing.

"Uh, Doctor, can I see you speak to you privately?" Nathan didn't wait for an answer and headed out of the mess with Kristin on his heels.

Once they were in the ward room, Nathan closed the door behind them. "You just couldn't handle it, could you? You're the one who wanted to keep our relationship professional. It was your idea, for Christ's sake!"

"For your information, this has nothing to do with you and me. This has to do with her. She acts sweet and innocent, but she's far from it, Nathan! You need to wake up and see that." Then, she lowered her voice and said, "You're probably not going to believe me, but she threatened me."

"Threatened you? How?"

"She told me to stay away from you or else. And Lucas said she wasn't very kind to him. I think she's the one responsible for all the threats around here."

Nathan rolled his eyes. "And why would she do that to Lucas and you?" Nathan asked. "And she was nothing but kind to him, by the way."

"Well, anyone can see she's attracted to you. And, she says she noticed the way you and I…well, that you and I have feelings for each other. I'm a threat to her plans, apparently. Lucas, I'm not sure. I suppose that he would take your attention away from her. She doesn't seem to like when you're not with her. And, you obviously haven't made it clear to her you're not interested in her…or are you?"

"Didn't I make that clear to you yesterday?"

"Well, you started, but we were interrupted, remember?"

"Look…just because you don't like her, stop making false accusations. She isn't the type of person to do that. You don't know her like I do. And I don't know why I have to tell you. You know how I feel about you."

"You've mentioned that, but it's hard to tell. And, if you felt anything for me, you'd believe me. Oh,and I think I know her very well, thank you very much. She said-"

"Are you sure you didn't just misinterpret what she said? You know, believe it or not, she says wonderful things about you when she and I are alone. And, she keeps saying that she wants to spend some time with you, to get to know you."

"I knew it," Kristin said shaking her head. "I knew you wouldn't believe me."

"I…it's not that I don't believe you. Maybe there was someone in your room last night, but I don't think it was Meredith. And, again, what benefit would she get by taking your PAL?"

"I'm not sure. But, I know someone was there. Someone grabbed my arm."

"But the surveillance-"

"I want to see it."

"What?"

"The surveillance video; I want to see it," Kristin said.

Nathan nodded. "Fine; let's go."

"Cap," Crocker greeted them. "Something wrong?"

"Well, actually, we've just had another incident on B-deck. And, the doctor here wants to see the surveillance footage from last night. She thinks there was an intruder in her room last night," Nathan explained.

Crocker nodded. "One minute." He set the tape from last night so Kristin could watch it. "You can fast forward or rewind with these buttons here," he explained.

As Kristin watched, she noticed something. "The camera shuts off every so often?" she questioned. She noticed the delay in time.

"It doesn't shut off exactly, but there is a delay if it's the end of the tape. It's only about thirty seconds or so," Crocker explained.

"You're sure that's all it is?"

"It might be a little longer maybe. Why?"

"Because," Kristin pointed out. "The footage has a full five minutes where nothing was filmed."

"Even if that's the case, how would anyone know there was going to be a window of opportunity?" Nathan inquired.

"I guess that's for us to find out," Kristin said. She turned to Nathan. "But, we know it could have happened."

"Maybe, but that still doesn't prove it was Meredith." Suddenly, Nathan's PAL beeped. "I have to get to the bridge. Let me walk you to the lab on the way, and I'll have Ben deliver a new PAL to the lab for you from the supply room."

She nodded. "Very well."

"And, how about I pick you up for lunch?" Nathan asked as they walked.

"Will it be a Meredith-free lunch?"

"Kristin, I think the best way to deal with whatever is going on between the two of you is to confront her. I'm sure you'll see it's all a silly misunderstanding. Meredith wouldn't even hurt a fly," Nathan insisted.

"That didn't stop her from hurting you all those years back," Kristin pointed out.

"That's in the past. And, she'd never physically harm anyone," he said, rephrasing his words.

Suddenly, however, they heard a cry from down the hall. It didn't take long for them to react, both running towards the source of the cry.

Meredith ran straight into Nathan's arms. "Oh, Nathan…someone…someone…" she stammered through tears, pointing towards her room.

Kristin stepped in the doorway and covered her mouth in shock over what she saw. There was a doll similar to the one that had been in Kristin's room. However, this one wasn't disemboweled. Instead, it had been elaborately set up to look as though it had been drawn and quartered, ropes tied to its limbs, the arms and legs detached from the body, fake nerves and blood everywhere. And, to top it off, Meredith's picture was taped to the doll’s face.

She turned back to Nathan, who was trying to calm Meredith down. "Sshh," he soothed. "It's okay, you're safe."

After a few minutes, Meredith had calmed down enough to speak. "I had left the room," she explained, "to get some breakfast. I was looking for you. When I didn't find you, I thought I'd go back to my room and relax a bit, and I found this."

"What about your roommate?"

"Amanda? She had to get to the lab, and I told her to go on ahead. I thought it would be alright," Meredith said, starting to cry softly again.

Nathan wrapped his arms around her once again, trying to comfort her.

After things had died down and the room was cleaned, Nathan went over to Kristin. "So you still think she's the one responsible?"

Kristin stole a look at Meredith, who was being comforted by Admiral Noyce, her head down. However, she seemed to notice that Kristin was looking at her. She gave Kristin and evil smile, then quickly went back to crying and being upset.

Kristin was sure it was Meredith. Now, how was she going to convince Nathan?


	11. Chapter 11

After things had calmed down, Nathan did escort Kristin to the lab as promised. The two walked in silence, however. Kristin was trying to think of a tactful way to convince Nathan that Meredith was far from angelic, but it seemed her efforts were futile at the moment. No matter how she insisted it was so, Nathan just wouldn't believe her. And, Nathan wasn't sure how to talk to Kristin lately, and he figured it was safe to keep his mouth shut for the time being.

Nathan paused in the doorway of her office. "Uh, should I pick you up for lunch?" he asked.

Kristin sighed. "I suppose we'll be eating with Meredith?"

"Kristin, don't be like that. She just had the same experience you had the other day; she's frightened."

"So am I," Kristin countered, "yet, you're not comforting me."

"You still think she's responsible? That she set that up in her own room?"

"It obviously doesn't matter what I think."

"What do you mean by that?" Nathan asked.

"Because all you do is make excuses for her."

Nathan's PAL beeped once again. "I really don't have time to stand here and argue with you."

"Then, don't. I have work to do as well," Kristin said curtly. She sat in front of her computer and began checking E-mails.

Nathan sighed. "Maybe you and I could have dinner, just the two of us?"

Kristin looked up from her computer. "I'm listening," she replied, her tone kinder.

"I'll set everything up, and I'll let you know the details later, deal?"

She gave him a small smile. "Deal."

Nathan returned the smile and left.

Kristin shook her head as she went back to her messages. No matter how angry Nathan made her at times, she always forgave him, was always willing to give him another chance. "I guess that's what love is," she muttered.

A moment later, Lucas showed up in her doorway. "Morning, Doc. Is everything alright? You and the captain…"

"Everything's fine," she assured him, standing up and walking over to him and putting her arm around his shoulders. "Listen, we're going to do something different today."

"No algae samples?" Lucas asked hopefully.

She smiled. "No algae samples." She walked him to the moon pool. "The vocoder seems to have a glitch again."

Lucas smiled. "Oh, is that all?"

Kristin could tell her was pleased. He hadn't mentioned it, but she knew it was hard for him to be separated from the aqua tubes. She also knew it wouldn't take the boy long to fix the small problem, but she planned for Lucas to spend the whole day with Darwin.

"Lucas play," Darwin's voice sounded through the vocoder. Then, the rest of the squeaks and squeals couldn't be translated.

Kristin rubbed the dolphin's head in greeting as Lucas looked at the vocoder. "I don't think this will take me long."

"Good. Uh, take your time," she said.

"Uh, Doctor," Lieutenant O'Neill's voice interrupted from the other end of sea deck.

"Mr. O'Neill? Is something wrong?" she asked. But as she got closer to him, she saw that he wasn't alone.

"No, but the captain wants General Reese here to spend some time observing the lab today," O'Neill explained.

Kristin crossed her arms over her chest and gave Meredith a look.

"I'll be quiet, I swear," Meredith said sweetly. "I just want to watch, and maybe you and I could have a chat?"

"It's the captain's orders," Tim said.

Kristin nodded. "Very well, Lieutenant; thank you."

"Lucas play," Darwin said, splashing Lucas.

"Not now," Lucas said, somewhat annoyed. "We have to get this working again."

"Lucas play," Darwin insisted.

"Is that the famous talking dolphin I've heard about?" Meredith asked, walking over to Lucas.

Kristin followed her, not wanting to let her out of her sight. She stood between Lucas and Meredith in an effort to protect him if anything happened.

"I'm not here to cause trouble," Meredith assured her. "Can I pet him?"

Lucas stepped in front of the doctor. "Uh, sure." Lucas took her hand and placed it gently on Darwin's head. "He likes it when you rub here."

Meredith laughed softly. "Nathan told me about him, but I didn't believe it."

"Well, he doesn't actually talk," Lucas explained. "His whistles and squeaks are translated through this." He held up the small yellow box. "The vocoder, which is on the fritz at the moment…again."

"Lucas play, Lucas play," Darwin insisted.

"Does he always say that?"

"Often, but I don't think that's actually what he's saying. Unfortunately, that's all it wants to translate. It's not him; it's the vocoder. It's almost like it has a virus or something," Lucas said thoughtfully. He turned to Kristin. "This is going to take longer than I thought."

She nodded. "That's fine; I won't need you in the lab anyway. I'm nearly finished with the algae samples anyway."

"Is it alright if I watch Lucas?" Meredith asked. "I promise I won't bother him."

Kristin thought for a moment. She looked at Lucas, who nodded his approval. "Alright," Kristin said. She walked closer to Meredith so Lucas couldn't hear. "But don't think I won't be watching you," she whispered.

"Fair enough," Meredith said in her sweetest voice.

Kristin gave Lucas one last look and headed to the lab. And it only took a second for the anger to rise. She couldn't believe Nathan would do that, get her to agree to dinner and then spring Meredith on her. She made a mental note to give Nathan a piece of her mind when they were alone and tried to work, although she kept checking on Lucas and Meredith.

Every time she poked her head out, Meredith smiled and waved. If Kristin didn't know better, she wouldn't have been concerned. But, she knew more about Meredith than anyone else seemed to know. She wondered if that was a good thing or not. Part of her wished she was oblivious as everyone else was. She forced herself to go back to work, however, deciding that Meredith wasn't planning on harming Lucas at that moment.

She became fairly engrossed in her work when a tap on her shoulder made her jump.

"Sorry," Ben said. "The captain asked me bring this to you." He handed her a new PAL. "So, you can't find your other one?"

"It was taken from my room," she said, accepting the new PAL.

"Katie mentioned you thought there was someone there."

"There was," she insisted.

Ben simply nodded. "Now, this one has already been programmed for you," Ben explained. He looked at the time. "Do you need me to escort you to lunch?"

She shook her head. "No, thank you. I've already been claimed for lunch, apparently," she explained, nodding her head towards Meredith.

"Oh, lucky you," Ben said dryly. "Well, if you need me, you know you can call me."

"Thank you," she said with a smile.

"Well, maybe I'll see you in the mess?" Ben said.

She nodded. "Most likely." She looked at the clock. "The captain should be here soon."

"Great, well, see you later."

"Bye," she called as Ben left the room.

"That was sweet of him," she heard a voice from the doorway. "I really admire the way everyone takes care of one another on this boat, like one big, happy family." Kristin turned to see Meredith. "I hope you don't mind, but I sent Lucas on to lunch. Not to worry though; he was with some of the other science staff."

"I suppose it's alright," she said. She was trying to act nonchalant, and she hoped her nervousness didn't show.

Meredith crossed to her. "Good," she said, her usual plastic smile on her face. "That gives us a little time to talk."

"What did you want to talk about?" Kristin asked, clearing up the things in her work area so she didn't have to make eye contact.

"Oh, a little of this, a little of that. How about we start with the fact that you just can't leave Nathan alone?"

Kristin turned to look at her. Meredith's voice was still saccharine sweet, but the anger in her eyes flashed. Kristin reached behind her to pick up her new PAL, just in case. "It's not that easy to stay away from him. We do need to work closely with one another from time to time."

"I've taken that into consideration," Meredith explained. "But what exactly was that bullshit in the ward room, hm? Not exactly working, was it?"

"Look, Meredith, I-"

"There you are," Nathan said, appearing in the doorway.

"Pookie," Meredith said, crossing over to Nathan and taking his arm. "Kristin and I were just having a little chat."

"Oh? What about?" Nathan asked. He looked at Kristin expectantly.

"Oh," Meredith interrupted, "nothing in particular. Girl stuff, you know."

Nathan nodded. "Of course. So, are we ready for lunch?"

Meredith nodded. "I know I am."

Kristin nodded but remained quiet. She wasn't sure exactly what to do.

Nathan and Meredith went out the door, and Kristin followed behind.

"Oh, can we stop at my room first?" Meredith asked. "I wanted to get my sweater. I'm a little chilly."

"I don't think that's a problem," Nathan said. He looked at Kristin again, who nodded. So, the three walked back to B-deck.

Once they reached her room, Meredith said, "I'll only be a minute. You can wait here."

Nathan nodded, and he and Kristin waited in the hallway. While they had a moment alone, he turned to Kristin. "What's wrong?"

She shook her head. "Nothing."

He gave her a look. "You're not acting like yourself," he noted. "You're angry with me?"

"Well, springing Meredith on me isn't exactly the way to win me over," Kristin pointed out.

"I was trying to show you she can be nice. Wasn't she?"

"For the most part, but-"

Meredith came out at that moment. "I'm all set. Everything alright out here?"

"Everything's just fine," Nathan said with a smile. He offered one of his arms to Meredith, which she accepted. He offered his other to Kristin. "Shall we?"

But, she felt the cold glare of Meredith on her, so she declined. "I'm fine to walk on my own," she said. She felt a slight pang of guilt when she saw the hurt look on Nathan's face, but he quickly masked it. "Very well."

He and Meredith started down the hall, and Kristin walked behind.

Once in the mess hall, however, she felt better. Lucas, Katie, and Ben were at a table together with Admiral Noyce. They waved when they saw the three of them walk in. The three of them quickly filled their trays before sitting down.

"Glad to see you all together for a change," Bill noted. "And are you and Meredith here getting along, Doctor?"

"Oh, we're getting along fine," Meredith said with a smile. "Lucas and I spent the morning with Darwin."

"Really?" Nathan asked.

"I've been working on the vocoder," Lucas explained. "I think I have it nearly fixed. All it translates right now is, 'Lucas play'."

Nathan chuckled softly. "You're sure that's just not what he's saying repeatedly?"

"Positive. There are other squeaks and whistles that aren't translated at all. I'm hoping to try it out after lunch," Lucas explained.

"Well, that should be fun to watch," he told Meredith.

"Actually, I was hoping to observe you on the bridge, Pookie. You promised," she said.

"I know, but I think you'd find Darwin more exciting. The bridge isn't very exciting lately," Nathan explained. "Bill will go with you."

Bill nodded. "Of course. I'd love to see you in action, Lucas." He turned to Kristin. "And I have a few matters about the party to discuss with you as well, Doctor."

She nodded. "Of course."

At that moment, Tim came into the mess, looking somewhat frantic. He crossed over to the table. "Captain, Doctor, I think there's something wrong with Darwin."

Everyone stood.

"What?" Lucas said in a shocked tone.

"We were just with him," Kristin explained.

"I know," Tim said, "But I was just by the moon pool, and he's not responsive."

Kristin, Nathan, and Lucas all rushed to sea deck.

Lucas immediately grabbed the vocoder and began hitting buttons. "Darwin?"

"Where is he?" Nathan asked. "I can't see him."

Kristin noticed a small mass at the bottom of the moon pool. She pointed. She took out her PAL and called some of her staff to sea deck. She turned to Nathan. "Looks like we have a sick dolphin on our hands."


	12. Chapter 12

As the science team rushed in, Nathan put his arm around Lucas and gently pulled him aside. "Let's give them some room."

Lucas resisted, however. "I want to stay with Darwin."

"I know, so do I. But the best thing we can do right now is to stay out of their way. You know Dr. Westphalen will let us know as soon as she notices any change in him."

Lucas nodded. "It's just that I was just with him; he was fine."

Nathan sighed. He could tell Lucas was blaming himself. "There's no way you could have known."

They both watched from where they stood for a several moments as the doctor and a few other staff members in wetsuits while Darwin was lifted out of the water. Kristin began her examination.

"Is he going to be okay?" Meredith asked. Nathan and Lucas turned to her.

"We don't know yet," Nathan admitted. "Uh, I guess you'll be coming to the bridge after all." He turned back to Lucas. "Why don't you come to? I could use your help."

"With what exactly?"

Nathan didn't honestly know. He just knew he had to keep the boy's mind off of Darwin. Lucas knew it too. "We'll find something to keep you busy. Let's go."

Meredith took Nathan's arm and gave Lucas a smile. "Don't worry; I'm sure your little fish friend will be just fine."

But Lucas was sure he sensed a bit of sarcasm in her voice. He just nodded. "He's not a fish," he corrected.

Meanwhile, Kristin took blood samples and ran several tests on the dolphin. As she was analyzing the blood samples in the lab, she left Darwin in the care of her capable staff. Suddenly, she heard shouting and the splashing of water. Darwin was having a seizure.

"Oh no; not again," she whispered to herself. She quickly rushed to the moon pool to help calm the dolphin.

After a while, Darwin's seizure did cease. Kristin sighed. She turned to her staff. "Just monitor him while I finish with the blood samples." She went back to the lab.

One hour later, her PAL beeped. "Westphalen."

"Kristin, how are things?" Nathan asked.

She sighed. "I don't know," she admitted. "Darwin had a seizure not too long ago. We managed to calm him down, but I can't guarantee it won't happen again. This is eerily familiar."

"Well, we know there aren't any black smokers around this time," Nathan told her.

"True, but that just means there could be a million things causing it, maybe some type of bacteria. I've even tested the pH levels in the moon pool. So far, everything has come back normal. I'm still looking at blood samples," she explained.

"You could call Malcolm," Nathan suggested.

Kristin paused for a moment. "Wait a minute; are you suggesting you actually want me to talk to him?"

"About my dolphin, yes. He helped us the last time he was sick; it doesn't hurt," Nathan explained.

"I'll do that then," she confirmed. "I'll let you know how it turns out."

"Fine; speak to you soon." Nathan turned to Lucas, who was waiting expectantly.

"I heard," he said.

"We're going to figure this out, Kiddo," Nathan assured him, patting him gently on the back.

Meanwhile, Kristin did a quick check-in with Darwin and her staff. There was still no change, so she went to her office to call Malcolm.

A minute later, Caesar Teslov's face appeared on the screen before her. "Hi!" he greeted her cheerfully.

Kristin smiled. "Well, hello there, Caesar. How are you? Do you remember me?"

The boy nodded. "I'm good."

"Wonderful. Is your…is Malcolm around?"

A second later, Malcolm appeared. "I told you not to answer the phone unless I'm around," Malcolm scolded gently. He picked the boy up and set him on his lap as he sat in front of the vid-screen. "Oh, Kristin…this is a surprise."

She nodded. "I see you've come quite a long way with him already. It's so wonderful to see him talking."

"I swear, he learns about a hundred new words a day. And, he's so proud of himself that I can't seem to keep him away from the phone. As soon as it rings, he's there answering it. But, this time, I'm glad he did." He smiled back at her.

"Well, I have to admit, this isn't exactly a social call," she told him.

"Something's wrong?"

She sighed. "We have a sick dolphin again. Darwin's acting like he did the last time when the black smokers were contaminating the water. But, this time, no black smokers. And, he's already had one seizure."

"You're welcome to bring him to my facility," he offered.

"That's very kind of you to offer, but we're nowhere near the Caicos Islands. We're off the coast of Spain at the moment."

Malcolm nodded. "Well, you know it might not be something that wasn't supposed to be there."

"What do you mean?"

"There are several types of algae blooms that can be toxic. It has been linked to epilepsy symptoms in marine life. Maybe Darwin came into contact with one of those types?" he suggested.

Kristin's heart sank. "And just what type of algae is that?"

"Pseudonitzschia produces the neurotoxin domoic acid," Malcolm stated. "The peak times for it to bloom are usually spring and early summer. But, it doesn't hurt to check."

"I'm doing an experiment on algae samples at the moment. Is it possible if I had some of the residue on my hands that I could have caused this?" she asked worriedly.

Malcolm shook his head. "No, he'd have had to come in contact with a large bloom or something in the water. But, I'd definitely check his blood for it. Those algae blooms are so common."

"And if it is that, what can we do about it? Is there are a cure?"

"We've really come a long way in studying how domoic acid affects marine life. Years ago, most of the animals would die immediately. But there's medication that can help. It's not the domoic acid that causes epilepsy exactly. It's that the neurotoxin triggers something in the brain, causing neurological changes. If that happened, we can't reverse it," Malcolm explained.

"So, he could have seizures the rest of his life?"

"Maybe…just test for the toxin first. Then, we'll worry about that later."

Kristin nodded. "Thank you for your help."

"Anytime," Malcolm said. "Keep in touch."

She nodded. "I will. Bye, Caesar."

"Bye," the boy called, waving.

"Bye, Malcolm," she said before cutting the link.

Immediately, she went back to Darwin to draw more blood and take more water samples. She gave the water samples to her lab technicians and told them what they were looking for. Then, she started to analyze Darwin's blood samples once again.

It didn't take long to find what they were looking for. Both the moonpool water and Darwin's blood tested positive for the neurotoxin. Kristin reached for her PAL once again. "I think you ought to get down here right away," she told Nathan.

A short time later, Nathan appeared in the lab. "What's going on?"

"Well, there's good news and bad news. The good news is, we found out what's making him ill," she explained. "The bad news is it's a neurotoxin known as domoic acid."

"And how did he come in contact with that?"

Kristin sighed. "Well, normally, I'd say he would have come in contact with it naturally. It's produced by certain types of algae blooms. However, Malcolm suggested I check moon pool samples as well, and the moonpool tested positive too."

"And how the hell would the algae get in the moon pool? It's a stable environment."

"I'm not sure. You know, I've been working on that algae experiment. I've already asked Malcolm if it were possible that I might have made Darwin ill by having the residue on my hands or something. But, he's already assured me that couldn't happen," she said. She walked over to her petri dishes. "However, I'm sure I have some samples of pseudonitzschia. That's the type of algae that produces it." But as she searched through her petri dishes, she noticed that some of them were missing.

"What's wrong?"

"My algae samples. Some of them are missing."

"Are you sure?"

"I'm positive." She showed him her notes. "This is all the date I've collected. All the pseudonitzschia are missing, but the notes are here. You don't think someone intentionally took them, do you?"

"What and poisoned Darwin with them? On purpose? Who would do that?"

"The same person who'd threaten Lucas and me," she pointed out. "Nathan, someone on this boat can't be trusted."

"You still think it's Meredith?" Nathan confirmed. "And just how would she know what type of algae is toxic to dolphins?"

"I don't know, Nathan. I suppose for the same reason she'd know that there was a window of opportunity with the surveillance tapes, the same reason she'd sneak into my room and take my PAL, the same reason she'd threaten me…Nathan, there's something not right about her," she insisted. "You have to believe me."

Nathan was silent for several minutes. His voice was quiet but deliberate as he spoke, "I'm going to go speak with the security team and see if they caught anything on the cameras. You contact Malcolm again and tell him what you've found. You find out what medication my dolphin needs, and you get it to him." With that, he exited the lab.

Kristin sighed. She headed to her office once again to call Malcolm once again.

"How would the algae get in the moon pool?" Malcolm asked.

"I can't say for sure, but I have an idea. You remember my algae experiment I told you about? Well, my samples of pseudonitzschia are missing."

"And? You don't think someone purposely poisoned Darwin, do you?" Malcolm asked in shock.

"That's exactly what I think," Kristin confirmed. "A lot of strange things have been going on around here. They started as pranks for Halloween, but now, things have…changed."

"How so?"

"Let's just say it's a little too close for comfort at the moment."

"You're confusing me; you want to fill me in on what you mean?" Malcolm asked with concern.

She shook her head. "I don't think there's time; it's a long story. I've probably said too much already," she admitted. "I'm sorry."

"Are you okay?"

"I will be," she assured him. "I'd better go. I have a dolphin to take care of. Thank you for everything."

"Anytime. You take care of yourself."

"You too; bye, Malcolm." With that, she cut the link. She would have loved nothing more to voice her fears, her concerns about the events on the boat over the past few days, but she hadn't the time. She felt guilty for saying anything at all, but it had just slipped out. She went to prepare hypodermic needles with Darwin's medication.

Nathan returned a short time later.

"The first doses of medication have been administered," she assured him. "And, the moon pool and the aqua tubes are being filtered of all toxins as we speak."

He nodded. "Thank you."

"So, did the cameras find anything?" she asked.

He shook his head. "Nothing out of the ordinary. It showed Meredith and Lucas working with Darwin. Then, Lucas left. Meredith was by the moonpool, but she was just petting him."

"You're sure?" she asked.

"Kristin, please. I know what I saw," Nathan said in an exasperated tone.

She nodded, realizing it had been too much of a trying day to press the issue anymore.

She watched as Nathan went over to Darwin to look at him. "So, he's going to be alright?"

"He should be. I can't promise he won't have seizures on occasion, but as long as we administer his medication, he shouldn't get any worse," she explained. "Do you want to tell Lucas, or should I?"

"If you don't mind, I think you'd be better at it. I'm not sure I'd get all the technical terms correct," he said.

Kristin couldn't help but notice Nathan wasn't acting like himself at all. "Are you alright?"

Nathan sighed. "I'm just not sure what to think right now. And to think someone may have done this…to hurt a poor defenseless creature. What's Darwin ever done to anyone?"

Nathan had a point. Even if it was Meredith who took the algae samples, Kristin couldn't quite fathom why. Why would she want to hurt Darwin? Kristin placed a comforting hand on Nathan's shoulder. She wondered who else was going to suffer before Nathan believed her.


	13. Chapter 13

By early evening, the general atmosphere of the boat had calmed, for the most part. Kristin had stayed in the lab later than usual because of Darwin. She wanted to be absolutely sure he was stable enough to be left alone. Dr. Levin had assured her he'd monitor him. So, finally, she wrapped up her work for the day. She took out her PAL unit, ready to page Crocker or Shan, someone to escort her to her room, when Nathan showed up in her doorway. He was dressed in khaki pants and a denim shirt, dressy casual.

"You look nice," she commented. "What's the occasion?"

He gave her a small smile. "Have you forgotten already? I thought we were having dinner."

She hadn't forgotten, but under the circumstances, she had assumed the affair was postponed. "I wasn't sure you were still in the mood," she admitted.

"On the contrary, I think this is what we both need, to spend some time together."

She couldn't argue with that. Things had been so hectic; Meredith and all the odd occurrences had definitely put a damper on their friendship. "I'll need a little time to change; I'm a mess."

"You look just fine," Nathan told her.

She gave him a doubtful look. "I smell like fish."

"Darwin's not a fish; he's a mammal," he reminded.

"Well, fine, I smell like a mammal then, a very fishy-smelling mammal. Either way, it's not very pleasant."

"Fair enough," Nathan replied. "We'll stop by your room then."

So, the two walked to Kristin's room. Kristin grabbed a change of clothes and headed into the bathroom. "I won't be long," she promised.

Ten minutes later, she emerged from the bathroom, dressed in a sweater and jeans, casual but lovely, Nathan thought. She had taken her hair out of the usual ponytail she wore and it fell loose on her shoulders. And, Nathan detected a light floral scent in the air. She noticed the way he was looking at her and smiled. "What?"

"Nothing; I was just thinking how lovely you look," he told her.

She blushed. "I dress like this all the time when I'm not working," she pointed out.

"And for the record, I think you look lovely then too," he added. "Ready to go?"

She nodded. "I better leave Katie a note though; she's probably at dinner herself." She grabbed a pad of paper and a pen off her desk and wrote a message to tell Katie where she was so there was no worry. She set it on the table so Katie would find it when she'd returned to the room. She turned to Nathan, "All set."

She slipped her hand around Nathan's arm, and the two headed to the ward room where Nathan had arranged a dinner for the two of them.

"Nathan, this is lovely," Kristin exclaimed, admiring the candles, the bottle of wine, and the dishes of snow crab legs. "I can't believe you still planned this, after everything that happened today."

Nathan pulled her chair out for her. "Well, I did, but there's one rule. Please, let's not talk about what's been going on around here lately. Do you think we could just have a nice, relaxing little dinner?"

She nodded. "It's a deal."

Nathan opened the bottle of wine and poured some in her glass; then, he did the same with his own and sat across from her. "I suppose I'd like to start out by apologizing to you though."

"I'm listening." She thought of several things she thought he should apologize for.

"You were right; I hadn't been honest with you about my feelings for you. And, I do have feelings for you; I think you know that."

She nodded. "I do, but you send me mixed signals sometimes. It's hard to see what your intentions are sometimes. You come on strong, and then, you shy away. How do you think that makes me feel?"

Nathan was silent for a moment. He knew it had to make her feel awful, like he didn't care for her when he truly did. But, he couldn't say it.

"I waited for what I thought was a long time, and when it seemed like you weren't interested after all, I decided it was time to move on. That's when I decided to work with Malcolm for a while," she explained. "We became close, but I realized I needed something more."

"And I suppose my being jealous helped you make that decision?" Nathan said sheepishly.

She smiled. "I think I'd have made the same decision with or without you…eventually, anyway. I think Malcolm would have made me choose between the seaQuest and him eventually. And, well, that's something I just couldn't do. It wouldn't have been fair to either one of us. It was better to break it off sooner rather than later. Plus, Malcolm isn't you."

"Well, I have to admit, I can't say I wasn't happy when you told me you weren't going to be returning to his island. Relieved is actually the word for it."

"Why is that?"

"Because I'd dragged my feet for so long, I thought I'd lost any chance I might have had with you. I never thought I could care for anyone else the way I cared for my wife. After she died, I never intended, never expected to meet another woman who could touch my heart the way she had done."

"Nathan, you don't have to explain," Kristin began.

He shook his head. "No, I think I do. You wanted to hear it from my mouth, so I'm saying it. Just listen," he said gently. "But, then, I met you. I know, to most of the crew, you're just a stubborn, opinionated type of person. You act as though you don't need a man. You don't want to have to depend on anyone else but yourself. I'm not saying that's a bad thing at all. But, I know you better than most of the crew. I see more than people give you credit for."

"You do?"

He took her hand in his and nodded. "I didn't realize until just recently how lucky I am that you've shown it to me, that I see how loving you truly are, how vulnerable you can be. You aren't as tough as you want others to believe you are," he noted.

"Well, I suppose I learned to be that way. I've been hurt in the past, and I got to a point in my life where I couldn't risk being pushed around anymore. But, I never had to be that way with you; you're different."

"I think we both reveal more to one another than we might to others on this boat," Nathan observed.

She nodded in agreement. "So, what are we going to do about that?"

"What do you want to do about that? You said you were checking."

"I know, but maybe I'm an old-fashioned girl. As independent as I seem, I like when the man makes the first move," she admitted. "I'm waiting for you."

"You said you wanted to keep things professional."

"I know, but let's scratch all that. I know what I said, and you know why I said it. Because I was angry, because I was jealous. You did say you weren't in love with Meredith."

"Not at all."

"Have you told her that yet?" she asked expectantly.

"It's not that easy. It's in the plans," Nathan said.

Kristin couldn't mask her disappointment. She gently pulled her hand away. "You know, it's hard to believe you care for me when you can't tell anyone else that."

"She's not exactly the easiest person to talk to, you know. And, she doesn't like to take no for an answer."

"I've noticed, but then, you can't blame me for having concerns."

"What kind of concerns?" he asked.

"Well, let's say we do take our relationship somewhere. Let's say we commit to one another. How do I know you're not going to turn around and say the same thing to her?"

"You think I would be unfaithful to you?" Nathan asked, somewhat stunned.

"It's happened before, in the past. I have to know I can trust you."

"And I haven't shown that to you?"

"Up until she got here, yes. But, I have to admit, I don't know what goes on between the two of you. She did stay in your room the other night."

"And I told you we fell asleep; nothing happened."

"And, I want to believe that, Nathan. I really do, with all my heart. I need to believe that. But, if the fact you haven't told her you're not interested in her…" her voice trailed off. She stood from the table and turned her back to him. "You know, this was a lovely meal, but it's getting kind of late. I have to get up early…"

Nathan placed a hand on her shoulder. "Kristin, please…you don't have to go yet."

She nodded. "No, I think I do, Nathan." She turned to him, her eyes glistening with unshed tears. "Nathan, I love you, but I can't wait forever for you to make up your mind."

"You're giving me an ultimatum?"

She shook her head. "No, I'm just being honest with you. I need someone who's just as honest." Her voice quivered slightly. "I think it's best if we cut this evening short. We both need time to think."

Nathan tried to think of something to say, something to convince her not to give up on him. But, he couldn't. Really, if he put himself in her position, he did look bad. The fact he hadn't turned Meredith down yet looked as though he might have feelings for her. That wasn't the case at all; he was just biding his time, waiting for the right moment. Although he wasn't in love with Meredith, he wanted to remain friends. He certainly didn't want to hurt her. After a moment, he nodded. "Alright."

They walked back to Kristin's room in silence. Nathan tried to put his arm around Kristin, but she'd pulled away. Once they'd reached her door, however, he tried once more to convince her he cared for her. He tried to pull her into a hug, but she backed away, her back against the wall.

"Nathan, please," she protested.

"Please, what?" he said, his body pressed against hers. "Kristin, I do care for you. I'm trying to show you that."

Kristin felt her heartbeat quicken, her breath catch in her throat. Nathan's lips were mere inches from her own. "Nathan…"

"Shh, don't say anything. Just hear me out, please." He brought his lips even closer to hers, and was about to capture her mouth.

Suddenly, she came to her senses. "No."

"What?" he said, backing away slightly.

She shook her head. "No. I do want this, more than anything, but not this way, not if I have to worry about some other woman stealing you away."

She turned to open the door. Once in the doorway, she turned back to him. "When you show me I can trust you, I'm yours." With that, she closed the door behind her, leaving Nathan alone in the corridor.

"Damn," he sighed under his breath. He debated knocking on her door again, trying to see if he could make up for his stupidity. But, no matter what he said, he knew nothing would change until he talked to Meredith. He didn't want to bother her now. It was a little late, but he made a promise to himself that he'd tell her first thing in the morning. He went back to his room to prepare what he was going to say, for he wanted to be tactful enough so as not to hurt her feelings.

Meanwhile, Kristin threw herself on the bed, upset. She finally let the tears out she'd been holding in. She sobbed for several minutes. After a while, her tears subsided. She wiped her eyes with a tissue and blew her nose. She decided there was nothing more to the wasted evening and felt it best to turn in. However, a sudden thought came to her. Where was Katie?

She went over to the small table where she'd left her message and noticed a new one had been scribbled down for her. "I'm watching a movie in Lucas and Ben's room. Join us if you like. Otherwise, don't wait up. See you in the morning. Katie."

Kristin set the note down. Part of her mused with the idea. She could certainly use a sympathetic ear, and Katie would know the right thing to say to cheer her up. However, Ben and Lucas didn't know anything about the relationship between her and Nathan. She'd either have a lot of explaining to do, or she'd have to make up a good excuse as to why she needed Katie to leave the movie viewing. Kristin didn't have the energy for lies, she decided. She went to her dresser and took out a nightgown to change into.

But as she looked up, she noticed someone in the mirror behind her. She screamed.

"Ssh," Meredith said. "Someone might think something's wrong."

"W-what are you doing here, Meredith?" Kristin said nervously.

Meredith smiled. "I just want to talk."


	14. Chapter 14

Kristin couldn't help but detect a sinister tone in Meredith's sweet voice. "Look, it…it was just dinner," she began.

Meredith laughed throatily. "Feeling guilty, are we?"

"Well, isn't that why you're here? Why you felt the need to come into my room, uninvited? Just how long have you been in here?" she demanded, feeling her nervousness shift to anger.

"Long enough," Meredith told her, moving to sit on the table in the middle of the room, crossing her long legs.

"Look, Meredith, it's really been a long day. I'm really tired of this game you're playing, so can we please just cut to the chase?"

Meredith laughed once again. "Game? You think this is a game?" She shook her head. "I assure you I'm not playing any game."

Kristin sighed. "Then, why don't you tell me what it is you're doing here?"

"I already told you, I want to talk."

"Alright, fine," Kristin conceded. "Talk."

Meredith looked her up and down. Having Meredith in her room alone made her feel uncomfortable, but the way she was looking at her made her feel even more so. "I applaud you for figuring what was wrong with Edwin so quickly."

"I think you're referring to Darwin," Kristin corrected.

Meredith gave her a look. "Whatever. Let's stop pretending like I really care." She took out a cigarette, lit it, and took a drag. "I hope you don't mind."

Kristin shook her head. She wasn't really in the mood to argue.

"It's so refreshing that I don't have to up a façade around you, that you know the real me."

Kristin shook her head. "Quite the contrary; I really know nothing about you."

"Well, you know more about me than the others do, at the moment at least. That's why I wanted to have this little chat. Go ahead; ask me anything."

"Anything?"

Meredith nodded. "Don't be shy, dear. I probably know more about you too."

Kristin gave her a doubtful look.

"You don't believe me? Your full name is Kristin Michelle Westphalen. You are forty-one years old, almost forty-two. You have several degrees in both marine biology and biochemistry along with your medical degrees. You have one daughter, and you've been married and divorced."

Kristin wasn't surprised. "That information isn't classified. It's available to every member of the UEO brass, including yourself."

Meredith smiled. "You're so smart, aren't you? Well then, let's talk about your marriages, shall we?"

"Marriages?" Kristin repeated. She shook her head. "There's no way that you could-"

"Know that you've been married and divorced several times over?" Meredith finished. She nodded. "You are right about that. That's not in your UEO file; that's personal. I had to dig to find it."

Kristin remained silent, unsure of what to say next.

"Aw, cat got your tongue, honey? You're wondering how I could possibly know that, aren't you?" She walked over to the counter, where Kristin had a potted plant. She took the last drag off her cigarette and put the butt out into the soil of the plant.

"Yes," Kristin answered quietly.

"It's my job to know these things," she explained in a matter-of-fact tone.

"Job? You mean, the UEO authorizes it?" Kristin was stunned. Was this some kind of military ploy? Another way for the UEO to control the science team?

"Yes and no."

Kristin gave her a confused look.

Meredith patted her shoulder. "There, there; I know you're trying to wrap your pretty little head around this, but you're not going to unless I tell you. Let's just say that we're very much alike, you and I."

"I don't think so," Kristin scoffed.

Meredith smiled. "Oh, I beg to differ. We've both been trained, and we've been trained well. You've learned all you could about science and medicine I guess you could say the same for me. I study my field all the time, and I learn new things every day."

"You're not a scientist or a doctor," Kristin pointed out.

Meredith shook her head. "No, you're right about that. But, I do know a thing or two about algae." She gave her a wink. "I learn what I have to."

"What exactly is your field of expertise then?"

Meredith chuckled. "I knew you'd ask soon enough. I know you have hundreds of questions weighing on your mind, and I knew it was only a matter of time before you'd ask. Let's just say I'm in communications and public relations."

Kristin read between the lines. "You're a spy?"

"Some people might refer to me as that, but I wouldn't. I don't want you to get the wrong idea though. It's all UEO sanctioned. I was chosen at a young age to do what I do now."

"And what's that? Ruin people's lives?" Kristin quipped. Then, she added as an afterthought, "So, Admiral Noyce knows about all this?"

Meredith laughed yet again. "Honey, Billy doesn't know about any of that, and I intend to keep it that way. I know way more about the ins and outs of the UEO than he ever will. I don't think you quite understand what it is I do. I'm a special agent, if you will. I'm paid to investigate everyone in the UEO, and I report back to my boss if I find anything…corrupt or unusual."

"So, this is an investigation?" Kristin was trying desperately to put this all together.

"More of a personal one for me," Meredith confirmed. "Not to worry; you're not being watched by the UEO. Unfortunately, besides your failed marriages, your record is squeaky clean. Just what the UEO likes to see."

Kristin was silent as she was going through everything Meredith had just told her, trying to make sense of it all.

"I'm on what you'd call shore leave right now," Meredith continued. "I'm not investigating anyone here…well, not work-related investigation anyway."

"So, you have been responsible for everything that's happened so far. You were the one who put the blood on Lucas' walls; you tried to frame Ben. And, you put that hideous doll in my room…and your own. And you stole my PAL. You knew there was a delay in the surveillance system. And, you poisoned Darwin," Kristin accused.

Meredith gave her a smile. "Guilty as charged. You knew it all along anyway. You're a smart woman."

Well, Kristin had suspected Meredith the whole time, obviously. But, she did doubt herself a time or two since it seemed she couldn't convince anyone else of this. "But why?"

"I think you know the answer to that. You know exactly what it is I want."

"Hurting Nathan isn't the way to get him to fall for you," Kristin told her.

Meredith brought her mouth closer to Kristin's ear. "I think you should take your own advice," she whispered softly.

Kristin turned away from Meredith, trying to hide her anger and embarrassment.

Once again, Meredith gave a satisfied snicker. "You don't have much luck with men, do you?"

Kristin didn't' answer.

"In fact," Meredith continued, "it seems to me that you have a weakness for men who love their work more than they love you. Well, except for your daughter's father; he seemed to love his secretaries more than he loved you, didn't he?"

Kristin crossed to the door and started to open it. "I believe this conversation is over."

"Uh, uh, uh; I'm not finished bonding with you yet."

Kristin removed her hand from the door, but shook her head. "No, I think we are more than finished."

Meredith simply smiled. "I think you're mistaken. I'm the one with the upper hand here."

"How so?"

Meredith reached into her pocket and pulled out a familiar-looking object: Kristin's missing PAL unit. "All I need to do is show this to Nathan." She put on a pout and acted as if she was talking to him. "Pookie, I found this in the corner of my room. I know Kristin is your friend, but I know that wasn't there earlier. We both know someone was in my room, that someone put that hideous doll in there. And, I know she hates me. Just what are we going to do about this, pookie?" She gave Kristin a smile when she was finished with her act. "That man will believe anything I say. And, I know he's not too pleased with you at the moment. Do you want to tempt fate?"

Kristin thought for a moment. Then, she stepped away from the door.

"Good girl. So, as I was saying, you always tend to fall for men who are married to their work. Is that right?" Meredith asked.

When Kristin didn't answer, Meredith said, "It's not a rhetorical question, dear."

"I…suppose so…" Kristin said quietly.

"And, Nathan is no exception, is he? And, you have fallen for him, haven't you?"

Kristin nodded.

"But yet, you resisted him just a short time ago. If you love him, why didn't you show him that?" Meredith continued with her assault.

"Because I have to know I can trust him," Kristin said. "And with you around, I can't."

"It has nothing do with my threat?" Then, she answered her own question. "Well, obviously not. I had warned you to keep your little paws off him, and that didn't stop you. That's why I had to continue with the elaborate displays. You see, I never wanted to leave Nathan at the altar. That's when I was offered the opportunity of a lifetime, to be a part of the UEO elite forces. But, it involved a few sacrifices…and a few lies. But one thing hasn't changed. I never stopped loving him. So, you see I really have nothing personal against you; I just don't want you touching my man."

Kristin shrugged her shoulders. "You can have him then." Her voice became shaky as she felt tears sting her eyes.

"Oh, that's right...you're upset with him. That's why you were crying your eyes out just a short time ago. You know, you'd only be setting yourself up for yet another broken heart, don't you? That's why you're so willing to let him go?" Meredith reasoned. "But, you've forgotten; I know you better than you know yourself, Dear. You're so desperate for love that you'll forgive him over and over again."

"No," Kristin said, covering her ears, tears now falling. She had backed away from Meredith in hopes of escaping, but she could only go so far. She leaned against the wall.

"I know it's hard to hear, honey, but it's the truth. You've done it time and time again; you don't seem to learn your lesson. You can't leave well enough alone, it seems."

Kristin slid down the wall until she was sitting. She pulled her knees up to her chest and sobbed quietly. She jumped slightly when she felt a comforting hand on her shoulder.

"There, there," Meredith said. "I know it's hard to come to terms with it. But, I really don't have time for emotional displays. You're going to have to pull yourself together."

Kristin willed herself to stop crying, but it was difficult. "What is it you want with me?" she asked through her tears. "I've already promised to stay away from him. I swear I will this time. I don't want to see him right now."

"I'd really like to believe that," Meredith replied. "But, even if I did, that's not enough. As much as you'd like to believe you're the only thing that's keeping him here, you know that's not the case. There's that annoying little brat, Lucas. Honestly, whosever idea it was to have a child on the boat must have been smoking something, if you know what I mean. And, then, there's that stupid dolphin."

"Nathan cares about every single person on this boat," Kristin defended.

"I know," Meredith agreed. "It's rather sickening how you're like one big happy family." She rolled her eyes. "Please. I think you all need a healthy dose of reality. The real world is not like that."

Kristin was finally able to compose herself and stood. "Oh, I think we all have a firm grasp of reality, thank you. And, I am quite aware that the world is filled with unjust and corrupt people. In case you didn't know it, we run into them nearly every single day. In fact, I happen to be looking at one of them right now."

Meredith shook her head. "I'm not corrupt."

"Oh? What do you call abusing your power to get what you want?" Kristin countered.

"Smart," Meredith informed her. She sighed. "Now, what to do with you?" she thought out loud. "Don't worry; I'm not going to kill you, unless you give me a good reason for it. Besides, it's too messy." She looked at the table and picked up the notepad. "You write a note back to your friend here. You tell her you're going on an emergency shore leave and that you'll see her in a few days."

Kristin shook her head. "No, I won't. I can't just leave."

"Oh, you won't be. That's just what you're telling her. Oh, but I don't think you want to provoke me." She pulled out the PAL again. "And, I have plenty more accidents I can frame you for if necessary. Even if Nathan doesn't believe me at first, once the evidence piles up, he won't be able to deny it."

Kristin shook her head. "I don't care. I'd rather be thrown off this boat by him than have you force me off."

Meredith smiled. "I do admire your courage. I guess it's right what they say about you, you won't be pushed around after all. Very well. I'll just have to use other methods of persuasion." She walked over to the dresser. On the dresser were a few picture frames capturing happy times in Kristin's life. There was one with her and Cynthia. Then, there was another with a photo of Nathan, Lucas, and her. Meredith picked up the second. "I'm sorry about Lucas."

"What?"

"Well, as I mentioned before, I don't like to kill people. But, it doesn't mean I won't. My little message to Lucas wasn't in jest. I guess I'll just have to make it look like some freak accident," Meredith said thoughtfully.

"No," Kristin protested. "Please."

Meredith smiled. "You care about him just as much as Nathan. Of course, I'll agree to let him live if you do as I say. Do we have a deal?" She held out the pen and paper to Kristin.

Kristin took it from her, reluctantly, but it didn't seem like she had a choice. She really didn't know if Meredith was bluffing, but she didn't want to find out either. She scribbled down the note for Katie as she was told.

"Good," Meredith said satisfactorily. She then handed her an official-looking document. "Shore leave forms; hurry up and sign them, and I'll get them to Admiral Noyce."

Kristin did as she was told once again.

"Now, let's go," Meredith said. Then, a thought came to her. "And act natural. If you give anything away, I swear the boy dies, understood?"

Kristin nodded. "Where are we going?"

"You'll see."


	15. Chapter 15

Meredith and Kristin walked through the corridors. It was late, and there weren't many crew members walking about, but those that were paid little attention to the two women.

Kristin had so many questions running through her mind, but she was afraid to ask. She promised she wouldn't give anything away, even though it was under duress. She followed Meredith to the lab.

Meredith looked around to be sure they were alone. "Pretty quiet place tonight, isn't it?"

Kristin nodded nervously, unsure of what Meredith was going to do.

Meredith gave her one of sweet smiles. "As I said, I won't kill you; but I do need you out of the way for the next few days. I'll make Nathan mine, convince him to leave the seaQuest, and you can go back to your happy little life; no harm done."

"You promise you won't hurt Lucas or Darwin or anyone else?" Kristin asked.

"You're so worried about the others," Meredith noted. "You'd think you'd be more concerned about your own well-being." Then, she said, "I can't promise I won't. If they get in the way, I'll do what I must." She patted Kristin's cheek gently. "But, I wouldn't worry your pretty little head about it. I need you to do something for me."

"W-what's that?"

"Prepare a hypodermic needle with phenobarbital," Meredith stated simply, looking Kristin up and down, "for a patient weighing approximately one hundred twenty pounds."

Kristin's heart sank. She didn't like the way Meredith was eyeing her; she knew the 'patient' Meredith was referring to was herself. "D-do you know how to use it?"

Meredith laughed. "I've used it before, if that's what you mean. Why?"

"Because giving someone too much can cause problems, mainly death," Kristin explained.

"Then, you'd better sure you get the dosage right, or it's your loss," Meredith said, flashing another plastic-looking smile. "And be quick about it."

Kristin did as she was told, her hands trembling as she did so. She hoped Meredith didn't notice, but she supposed it really didn't matter much. She was frightened, and Meredith knew it. Once the needle was prepared, she turned to Meredith expectantly.

"Cap it properly, please, so it isn't accidentally injected too early. And I certainly don't want to inject myself. We don't need it just yet."

Kristin did so.

"Now, give it to me," Meredith instructed.

Kristin handed it over, and Meredith put it in her pocket. "Good; now let's go."

"Where are we going?" Kristin asked quietly.

Meredith sighed. "I suppose you're not going to stop unless I tell you. This boat does have a brig, doesn't it?"

Kristin had never been to the brig, but she knew it existed. She wasn't sure exactly how Meredith was going to pull this off, however. "How is this going to work? You're going to lock me in the brig for a few days, sedate me?"

"That's the plan," Meredith confirmed. "Like I've already told you, it's my job to know things. I probably know more about this boat than Captain Bridger himself. And, don't worry; when the time comes, I'll alert someone and tell them where you are."

"But, I thought those were shore leave papers I signed. Won't they be expecting a launch to leave?" Kristin pointed out.

"Already under control," Meredith assured her. "All the details are all worked out. Now follow me."

They passed the moon pool as they left; Darwin was watching them intently.

"C-could I have a chance to say goodbye to him; please?" Kristin pleaded gently, motioning towards Darwin.

Meredith rolled her eyes. "I do not understand everyone's fascination with that damned dolphin!" She sighed as she thought. "Very well, but make it quick."

Kristin went over to the dolphin, which swam over to the edge to greet her. Kristin pet him gently and whispered soft and low, so Meredith couldn't hear, "Take care of yourself. Tell Nathan not to worry about me, and please look after Lucas."

"Come on; we haven't got all day," Meredith said in an exasperated tone.

Kristin gave Darwin one final look as Meredith grabbed her arm and dragged her away. The brig was located on the lowest level, and it was colder than Kristin expected it to be. Meredith did seem to know exactly where she was going. She led Kristin through the cells until they reached the one in the back. Meredith unlocked the door and pushed Kristin into it.

"Well, I guess this is it," Meredith told her, getting the needle ready.

"Wait!" Kristin protested. "Is the needle really necessary? I won't scream; I won't make a sound. I don't think anyone could hear me anyway."

Meredith smiled. "You're very clever, aren't you?" She pulled Kristin up by the arm and reached behind her. "You think I've missed the fact you have this?" She took her new PAL out of her pocket. "Well, I didn't. As for the sedation, I've already told you, as much as I'd like to, I can't trust you completely. You didn't heed my warnings about staying away from Nathan. Now, this is your punishment." Then, a thought came to her, "Did you do something to jeopardize the dose?"

Kristin shook her head. "No, but you can't blame me for being worried. Barbiturates can cause death if not administered properly. You might have knowledge of a lot of things, but unless you have a medical license, I find it hard to trust you."

"Then, I guess we're even," Meredith told her. "You don't trust me, I don't trust you. It's too bad, really, because I think we could have been friends if things were different." She bit the cap of the syringe and started toward Kristin.

She instinctively backed away, but she eventually made contact with the wall. There were no places to hide. All she could do was give one last protest as Meredith plunged the needle into her neck.

Kristin instantly felt woozy. She was unsteady on her feet and began to sway. Meredith caught her before she hit the ground, however. She carried her to the small cot and laid her on the bed. She then locked the door and left the brig, acting as nonchalant as possible.

The next morning, Nathan woke early. He was hoping to catch Kristin before they both had to get to work. Much to his dismay, he opened his door to see Meredith, her hand raised as if she was about to knock.

She smiled. "You must be psychic. I was just about to knock. Good morning."

"Good morning," Nathan replied. "Look, I really hate to be rude, but I need to run off. I have some business to tend to."

"Actually, so do I. Is Billy in there?"

He nodded. "He's just about to head to the mess. Why?"

She thrust the papers toward him. "Dr. Westphalen brought these to me late last night. She asked me to deliver them first thing in the morning."

Nathan looked them over. "Emergency shore leave? It's not like Kristin to just up and leave."

Meredith nodded. "Well, she said something about her daughter. I think there's some kind of family problem. She plans to be back in a few days."

"I just don't understand why she'd bring them to you," Nathan thought out loud.

"Well, I think she knows the papers can be given to any UEO officer; she met me in the corridor last night, so I guess she just saw me as good as anyone. Why?"

Nathan shook his head. "No reason. She and I had a bit of a disagreement yesterday, that's all. I hope that's not the reason she left."

Meredith shrugged her shoulders. "I have no idea; she never mentioned. I'm sure you two can talk it out when she gets back."

At that moment, Admiral Noyce came to see who was at the door. "Morning, Meredith," he greeted. "But when she handed the papers over, his face fell. "Dr. Westphalen left? Without telling anyone?"

"Well, she did say there was an emergency at home," Meredith explained. "I don't think it could be avoided."

"Well, I do understand that, but the Halloween party-she had everything planned," Bill stated.

"If you'd like, I can take over," Meredith offered. "I've planned a few great parties in my day, haven't I, Pookie?" She bumped her hip against Nathan's.

Nathan backed away slightly, but nodded. "Kristin had been working with Lucas. I'm sure he can fill you in on all the party arrangements. How does that sound?"

Meredith wasn't too happy about it, but then she thought she could use that to her advantage. "That sounds lovely. You don't think he'll mind working with me?"

"Of course not; I'll go see him right now. I'll see you in the mess in fifteen?"

"Sounds great. See you later."

With that, Nathan headed down the hall to Ben's room. He knocked and was greeted by Ben. "Morning, Captain. To what do I owe the pleasure?"

"Morning," Nathan replied. "Uh, is Lucas around?"

Lucas emerged from the bathroom, looking freshly showered and dressed. "Morning, Cap."

"Listen, there's been a slight change of plans; Dr. Westphalen had to leave for an emergency. Since-"

"What?" Lucas and Ben both said in unison.

"That's not like her to just leave without saying goodbye," Lucas pointed out.

"My Sandy," Ben said sadly.

Nathan wasn't quite sure what that comment meant, but he hadn't time to ask at the moment. "I know she normally wouldn't just leave," Nathan pointed out. "But we have to know that something really awful must have happened. General Reese assured me she'd be back in a few days."

"General Reese?" Lucas questioned.

Nathan nodded. "Apparently, the doctor met her in the hallway last night, so she informed her before she left on the launch."

Lucas and Ben didn't say anything to the captain, but they both exchanged glances. They both were thinking the same thing; something just seemed odd about this.

"Anyway, since she won't be here to plan the party, General Reese wants to take over helping with the party plans. I told her you'd love that," Nathan said to Lucas.

"I think I can handle things without her though," Lucas protested. "I know exactly what the doctor wanted."

"That might be the case, but the doctor won't be here, so I don't think it really matters what she wanted," Nathan said. "General Reese would like to help, and I don't see why there's a reason she can't. Besides, I've noticed that no one seems very eager to make her feel welcome. I think this is an excellent way to do so."

"But-"

"And, you will be respectful and civil," Nathan reminded.

"Yes, Sir," Lucas muttered, realizing arguing wouldn't get him anywhere.

Just as Nathan was about to leave, Ben had a thought. "What about Katie?"

"What do you mean?" Nathan asked.

"Well, the doctor and Katie were sharing a room. Katie was in her late last night; we were watching a movie. But, she must have been all alone."

Nathan nodded. "I'll see to it she finds a new roommate, Lieutenant. Thank you." With that, Nathan left the room, leaving behind a suspicious Lucas and Ben.

"You believe all that?" Lucas asked Ben once they were alone.

"It doesn't sound like the doctor," he admitted. "But if she really couldn't stay to explain…"

"I still think she'd have stopped at our room before she left. She knew we were awake. Katie left her a note."

Ben nodded. "Well, we really don't have time to analyze it right now. I'm sure everything's fine. No news is good news, right?"

Lucas nodded. "I guess." But, he really didn't believe that. He made a mental note to figure out what was going on. "Well, I'll see you later," he said.

"See you," Ben said. "You're not hungry?"

Lucas shook his head. "No, I promised the doc I'd get the vocoder working again."


	16. Chapter 16

Lucas was pleased to see Darwin looking much better. "Okay, Dar, we have to get this working today. Are you with me?"

Darwin nodded his head and squeaked. But as Lucas picked up the vocoder and began tinkering with it once again, Darwin became more frantic, swimming around in circles, his whistles and squeaks in a jumble.

"Darwin, you need to calm down," Lucas told him. He wasn't sure what the problem was. He called Dr. Levin over, worried the dolphin was having a seizure.

"He's fine," Dr. Levin assured him. "He's actually been acting like that all morning."

Lucas nodded.

Levin gave him an encouraging pat on the back. "Just keep working on it; you'll get it."

"Thanks," Lucas said.

"If you need me, you know where to find me," Levin said as he headed back to the lab.

Lucas turned back to Darwin and sighed. "I'm working on it," he told him.

Meanwhile, Kristin slowly came back to reality. At first, she didn't know where she was or how she'd gotten there. She sat up and rubbed her eyes, trying to adjust to the darkness around her. As she became more awake, she remembered exactly what had happened. And, she mentally chastised herself for it.

"It's your own damn fault you're in here," she muttered to herself. "How could I let her push me around like that?"

Kristin had made a solemn vow long ago that she would not be intimidated by anyone. And, she'd kept true to that promise up until now. Why in the world did she succumb to Meredith's will? She felt herself becoming angrier the more she thought about it.

"I know why," she answered her own question aloud. "Because of Nathan."

Yes, Nathan had asked her to be kind, to be accommodating. And, Meredith had threatened her several times over…and if she didn't do what she was told, Lucas or someone else could have been harmed. Still, she couldn't help but regret her compliance. She paced absentmindedly for several minutes, trying to think of what to do.

"No way am I staying down here for three days."

She tried pulling on the cell door, knowing perfectly well that it was locked. But, she hoped for some small miracle. She looked at the bars, assessing the width between them. She knew it was a long shot, but she tried to squeeze through. Of course, that didn't work either.

She looked around for something, anything that could possibly alert someone on the boat that she was there. To make matters worse, her stomach growled. She was hungry. She looked at her watch. Normally, she'd have had her coffee and breakfast by now. She wondered if Meredith expected her to starve.

As if on cue, she heard footsteps from the other end of the corridor. At first, she became extremely excited and relieved, hoping it was Chief Crocker or someone else. She was about to cry out to say where she was when the figure came into focus. Her relief quickly faded.

"Glad to see you're still alive," Meredith said with a plastic smile. "Guess you got the dosage just right." She gave her a wink. "So, how are you feeling?"

"Why do you care?" Kristin retorted. She certainly wasn't in the mood for Meredith's games.

Meredith put on a fake pout. "Is that the way you treat someone who brings you food? I know for a fact you must be hungry."

Kristin hadn't noticed the tray in her hand. "I didn't think you were going to bring me anything."

"What kind of monster do you think I am?" Meredith asked. "I told you before, I don't plan on killing you. Hold out your hands."

Kristin stuck them out through the bars, and Meredith set the tray on them. Then, she unlocked the door, took the tray from Kristin's hands, and stepped into the cell.

"I wasn't sure what you liked, but I figured that everyone likes pancakes. And, I noticed you liked coffee."

Kristin took the tray from her and immediately picked up the cup and took a sip. "Thank you," she muttered. She found herself quite taken aback. Meredith was actually being nice…or at least, she was acting that way.

"See, I can be very kind," Meredith assured her, as if she could read Kristin's thoughts. With you out of the way, I don't need to be so…aggressive, shall we say? As a person, I really have nothing against you. I hope you can understand that."

Kristin gave her a look, trying to decide if Meredith was truly being genuine. "I'm glad to hear you have nothing against me, but I can't say the same for you."

"I guess I can't blame you. Aren't you going to eat?" Meredith asked.

The scent of the food made her stomach growl even louder. Still, there was some niggling feeling telling her not to eat them. "They're not drugged, are they?"

Meredith laughed. "Really? Would I do that to you?"

Kristin didn't give her an answer, but she knew that the answer was affirmative.

"Well, how about I leave these down here, and you can decide what you'd like to do? I can always come back for the tray."

Kristin still said nothing.

Meredith sighed. "By the way, I thought I should let you know that all your friends are pretty upset that you left without saying goodbye."

"It certainly wasn't voluntary," Kristin finally spoke.

"Well, that couldn't be avoided. By the way, I'll be taking over your plans for the Halloween party; I hope you don't mind."

Kristin shrugged her shoulders. "It doesn't really matter to me."

Meredith gave her a smile. "Oh, it might. I certainly wouldn't want anything to happen to Lucas, would you?"

"Meredith, if you touch one hair on his head, I swear, I'll-"

Meredith laughed cruelly. "You'll what? Face it; there's nothing you can do. No one even knows you're here."

"Yet," Kristin finished.

"Touché," Meredith answered, "but good luck trying to escape. You won't succeed. As for Lucas, he'll be fine as long as he doesn't get in my way. I've already told you that."

Kristin's eyes flashed with anger, but she held her tongue for the time being. She told herself she had to find a way out; the tongue lashing would come later.

"Hm, thought you'd back down," Meredith noted when Kristin didn't give a reply. "I'll leave you to your thoughts. See you later."

Kristin heard the lock click back into place as Meredith turned the key and walked away. As the click of her heels faded out, Kristin looked around for a way out once again.

Back on sea deck, Lucas shouted, "I think I got it." He turned the vocoder on.

Darwin was still swimming around, clicking and squeaking. However, once the vocoder was on, the clicks and squeaks were finally translated. "Doctor Kristin; bad lady."

"What?" Lucas said. "What do you mean, Darwin?"

"Bad lady. Doctor Kristin; bad lady. Bad lady hurt Doctor Kristin. Bad yellow lady."

"Bad yellow lady?" Lucas said out loud, trying to decipher Darwin's message. Suddenly, he realized what he meant. Without wasting a minute, he took got out his PAL and paged the captain.

Back in the brig, Kristin decided she definitely was not going to eat the pancakes. She really didn't know what Meredith would accomplish by drugging her once again, but Kristin definitely was not willing to take the chance. She felt safe enough to drink the coffee. At least that was something.

She had decided she would need to pick the lock somehow. She'd wished she had worn some pins in her hair, but she had it loose because of her dinner with Nathan.

"And that went so well," she muttered to herself dryly.

She sighed sadly. There had to be some way out. She got down on her hands and knees. She was hoping by some small chance that she might find something on the floor to help her pick the lock. But, just like the rest of the boat, the floor was impeccably clean. But, then, she noticed something out of the corner of her eye.

"The surveillance camera!" she shouted to herself. "That's it."

Unfortunately, it was aimed down the corridor. As far as the security team knew, there were no prisoners, so there was no reason to monitor the cells. She had to adjust the camera angle, but how? She picked up her empty coffee cup, and she looked at her tray. Between the plate, the fork, and the cup, the figured she had at least three chances to hit the camera. She'd never been very good at sports, so she said a silent prayer.

She put her arm through the bars and threw the cup as far as she could. It was harder than she thought; she had to hold her arm at an awkward angle. The cup hit the wall just below the camera and shattered instantly.

"Oh, no!" she sighed dejectedly.

She tried not to let it discourage her, however. "The plate should be easier; just like a Frisbee." She emptied the contents of the plate into the toilet and carried back to the far corner of the cell where the camera was. She put her arm through the bars again and threw the plate towards the camera. As it flew through the air, she silently hoped that it would. But, the plate hit the wall just above the camera, shattering on impact.

Once again, Kristin sighed. She picked up the fork. Again, she said a silent prayer, knowing this was her last chance. "Please just let this work," she said desperately. She then threw the fork, almost afraid to look to see where it landed.

Back on sea deck, Nathan finally arrived.

"What's going on?" Nathan asked.

"It's Darwin," Lucas explained. "He's trying to tell us something about the doc." He turned the vocoder on.

Again, Darwin said, "Bad lady. Bad yellow lady hurt Doctor Kristin."

"Bad yellow lady?" Nathan questioned. "What does that mean?"

"Uh, I think that's Darwin's way of referring to someone with blonde hair," Lucas pointed out.

"Bad lady," Darwin insisted again, swimming around frantically and flapping his flippers. "Bad yellow lady."

"Alright, alright, my friend," Nathan said gently. "We understand. Do you know where the bad lady took Dr. Kristin?"

Darwin shook his head back and forth. "Bad lady hurt Doctor Kristin."

Nathan nodded. "Turn it off, Lucas."

"Uh, Cap, you don't think that General Reese would do anything to her, do you?" Lucas suggested. It's what he and Ben had suspected, but they had no way of proving it.

Nathan sighed. "I hope not, but I can't think of anyone who would-"

At that moment, Chief Crocker rushed onto sea deck. "Captain, I'm so glad I found you."

"What is it, Chief?" Nathan asked.

"Something…or someone just knocked out the surveillance camera in the brig," he explained, sounding somewhat panicked.

"Let's check it out," Nathan said.

"Can I go too?" Lucas asked.

Nathan thought for a second. "Come on."


	17. Chapter 17

Kristin knew she had hit the camera, but she didn't get the result she'd hoped for. The camera only moved about an inch to the left. Although she couldn't be positive, she was sure it wasn't angled enough for any of the surveillance members to see inside the cell. She sighed once again, feeling as though she was out of options. She almost wanted to cry.

"Meredith's going to win, and it's all my fault," she muttered. She slumped down on the cot, feeling completely at a loss for what to do next. But, just as she was drowning in her own self-pity, she heard the sound of footsteps in the distance. Thinking it was Meredith, she tried her best to compose herself. But, then, she realized there was more than one set of footsteps. It was someone else.

"Hello?" she called, moving back far wall of her cell that looked out into the corridor. She craned her neck to try to see down the hall, but she couldn't quite position her head at the proper angle. She couldn't see anyone.

Thinking he heard something, Nathan held out his hands, indicating he wanted his other companions to stop.

"What is it?" Lucas asked.

"Ssh," Nathan said. "I thought I heard something."

"H-hello," Kristin called louder. "Is someone there? Please?" She listened intently, but didn't hear any more movement in the corridor. She thought for sure she'd missed her chance, that whoever it was didn't hear her. She walked back to the cot and flopped back down, feeling disappointed.

"Kristin?" Nathan called back to her.

Kristin immediately shot back up. "Nathan?" she called. "Nathan, I'm here! I've been locked in."

She heard the rush of the footsteps coming closer, and she felt an enormous sense of relief when the three figures finally did come into her line of vision. "Oh, thank goodness!"

Chief Crocker immediately unlocked the door, and Kristin ran out of the cell, happy to be free.

"Now I'm confused," Nathan said. "How did you…what happened? I thought you were on shore leave."

"I've been here the whole time," Kristin replied. "You're probably not going to believe me since you haven't yet, but General Reese is responsible for this. She forced me to sign those papers and locked me down here."

There was a moment of silence. Kristin expected Nathan to chastise her, to tell her once again that she was wrong. But, he didn't.

He sighed heavily. "I believe you. And, I'm sorry. Are you alright?"

She nodded. "Apart from being hungry and a little cold, I'm fine." She turned to Crocker. "It's absolutely freezing down here."

"Sorry, Doc. We don't heat the area unless we know someone's down here," Crocker explained.

She nodded. "Well, I'm certainly glad I wasn't down here too long. How did you find me anyway?"

"Well, Darwin gave us our first clue," Lucas piped up.

Kristin smiled. "He was the only witness to what happened last night. You must have gotten the vocoder working?"

Lucas returned her smile. "I promised you I would. Darwin couldn't tell us where you were though."

"But something knocked out our camera here," Crocker said, pointing.

Kristin looked apologetic. "I'm sorry; it was the only way I could think to alert someone that I was trapped down here. I didn't know I was going to break it; I was just trying to adjust the camera angle."

"It's alright, Doc," Crocker assured her.

"We're just grateful that you are OK," Nathan added. He noticed Kristin was shivering a little. He put an arm around her. "We need to get you back upstairs, get you warm and get you something to eat."

Kristin nodded gratefully. "But what are we going to do about Meredith?"

Nathan thought for a moment. "We're not going to confront her yet; she'd just feed us more lies. Do you think you can wait just a little longer to eat?" he asked Kristin.

"I can manage."

Nathan squeezed her tighter in response. He turned to Lucas and Chief Crocker. "Both of you go back to work. Neither one of you mention the doctor to anyone, understood?"

"What if we see the general?" Lucas asked.

"You don't do anything," Nathan replied. "You just act naturally. Chief Crocker, however, I do want you to inform me as soon as you see her. I want to get the doctor upstairs safely without her knowledge."

"Aye, Sir; I'll page you right away, Sir." Crocker confirmed. He turned to leave, but Lucas lingered.

"You can go, Lucas," Nathan urged.

"You're sure you're okay?" Lucas asked Kristin. "Darwin insisted you were hurt."

Kristin put a reassuring arm around his shoulders. "I'm fine, I promise you. Just…be careful. Don't talk back to Meredith if you see her."

"Why?" Nathan and Lucas both asked in unison.

Kristin opened her mouth, but hesitated, seeing the worried looks on both of their faces. "She threatened Lucas," she finally said.

Lucas paled.

"Stay in the lab," Nathan told him. "If the general approaches you, just tell her you have a lot of work to do, okay?"

Lucas nodded. He still looked worried, however.

Nathan put an encouraging arm around him. "Everything's going to be fine; I promise. You trust me?"

"Yeah, of course."

"Good; then, don't worry. Go."

Lucas gave them one last look as he headed back down the hall.

Nathan turned back to Kristin. He waited expectantly for a moment.

Kristin furrowed her brow. "What?"

"I was waiting for the lecture," Nathan explained her. "Or an 'I told you so' at least."

Kristin shook her head. "I'm too cold to really worry about that," she admitted.

Nathan put his arms around her once again to try to keep her warm.

"This doesn't let you off the hook though," she said, snuggling up to him.

Nathan laughed. "I didn't think it would." Then, his tone became serious. "What was she trying to accomplish by keeping you down here anyway?"

"She wanted me away from you," Kristin said. "Nathan, I tried to tell you; she's the one who framed Ben, painted the blood pictures all over Lucas' room, put that hideous-looking doll in my room, did the same in her own room, stole my PAL, poisoned Darwin…she did all of it because she's in love with you. Apparently, she never stopped loving you; she told me she never wanted to leave you…that she was forced. Nathan, she knows things; she's been trained that way."

"Trained? Kristin, you're not making much sense," Nathan replied.

Kristin took a deep breath. "She told me she isn't exactly who she says she is. She works for the UEO, but she's an officer in the UEO military police. Her job is to investigate other UEO officers, to find out whatever she can, if necessary. Unfortunately, she's let that power go to her head, and she thinks nothing of using it to get what she wants, to suit her own needs. That's how she's been able to sneak around the boat undetected."

Nathan was silent for a moment. "Are you sure?"

Kristin shrugged. "She seems to lie to everyone around here except me. I'm not sure why I was the lucky one; maybe she was just so tired of living a life of lies, she felt the need to finally break away from that. I'm not sure…but I've also learned not to cross her. She told me that if I didn't sign those emergency leave papers, that she'd kill Lucas." There was a slight twinge in her voice as she felt tears threaten to fall. "I couldn't let that happen."

"Ssh," Nathan comforted. "It won't happen." After a few moments, he added, "I am so sorry I didn't believe you before."

Before Kristin could reply, Nathan's PAL beeped. Kristin gently wriggled out of Nathan's grasp so he could answer it. She wiped her eyes with her hands.

"Bridger."

"Cap, I just ran into General Reese. Ortiz is explaining all about the WSKR units to her as we speak. That should keep her distracted for a while," Crocker's voice echoed through the device.

"Brilliant work, Crocker. Just let me know if anything changes."

"Aye, Sir."

Nathan put his PAL away and turned back to Kristin. "Let's get you upstairs."

"Where are we going to go?"

"You'll see."

They ascended the stairs and headed towards Nathan's quarters. Nathan put his arm around her and gently ushered her inside. Nathan took out a sweatshirt out of his closet and handed it to her. "You can put this on, if you'd like. It'll be a little big, but it should warm you up."

She slipped it on over her head, instantly feeling warmer. Sure enough, it did hang down to her knees, but she didn't care. "Thank you."

"I'll head to the mess and bring you back something to eat, but for now, I want you to stay right here. Is that alright?"

"I don't see a problem there, but what about Admiral Noyce? How do I explain my presence if walks in here?" Kristin asked.

"I hadn't thought of that. I'll have to try to find him before he does. No need to worry. What are you hungry for?"

"Anything," she told him. "I'm starving, but I do have one request. Just get me something hot to drink, please."

He nodded. "I think I can handle that. I'll be right back." He left the room and headed to the mess. He grabbed a plate and started filling it up when he heard a familiar voice behind him.

"Nathan, there you are. You know I've been looking all over for you," Bill exclaimed. "Where've you been? Shouldn't you be on the bridge?"

Nathan sighed. "That's actually a long story. Maybe you should walk with me."

"Are you having a mid-morning snack?" Bill questioned, motioning towards the plate. "You must be awfully hungry."

"Not exactly." He set the plate down and grabbed a large mug and poured hot coffee into it. He handed it to Bill. "Would you mind carrying this?"

Bill did so, but he was very confused. "What is going on, Nathan?"

"Follow me, and I'll explain everything."

Once they'd gotten back to Nathan's room, Nathan had told Bill everything he knew. Admiral Noyce didn't quite believe him until Nathan opened the door.

Bill's mouth opened in surprise. "Dr. Westphalen…I thought…"

"Apparently, Meredith had locked her in the brig," Nathan explained. He set the plate down at the table, then took the coffee cup from the admiral and set that down as well. He motioned for Kristin to sit, but she hesitated.

"Don't be shy," Nathan told her.

"Admiral, I know this is a shock, but I'm sure the captain's informed you of our little situation," Kristin said, finally sitting down, but not making the effort to eat yet.

"It's just that we've known Meredith for years…she was in the academy with us. It's a lot to take in. But, I will not stand for this either." He started toward the door, but Nathan stopped him.

"Not yet."

"What?"

"I don't want her to know that we know. I'd like to beat her at her own game. And, I don't want anyone to know the doctor's still here," Nathan explained.

"Just what are you planning?" Bill asked.

"You'll see. Try not to leave the doctor alone, just in case." With that, he headed out the door, leaving behind the bewildered doctor and admiral.


	18. Chapter 18

Nathan knocked on Ben's door.

"Captain, what can I do for you?" Ben asked.

"I need your help in setting up a prank," Nathan told him. "Can I come in? We're going to need some supplies."

Ben gave him a look. "Captain, I thought you said the pranks were over."

"Well, I lied. Plus, there's a good reason for this one. I'll explain while you get me that doll over there. Oh, and we're going to need some of that fake blood; lots of it."

Lucas tried to throw himself into his work, trying to get his mind off what Dr. Westphalen had said about Meredith. But he kept finding himself distracted. Every move anyone around him made caused him to jump. The truth was, he was scared.

Dr. Levin noticed the boy seemed distracted, but didn't question it. He brought a stack of papers over to him. "How about you enter the data from these into the computer? You think you can handle that? I know Dr. Westphalen usually has you help her with experiments, but I'm not really sure what else to have you do."

"It's fine," Lucas said, accepting the papers from him. "I'll get right on this."

Levin nodded. "Great; thank you."

The work was mundane, but after a while, Lucas found himself immersed in it, forgetting about Meredith for the time being. Suddenly, he noticed someone out of the corner of his eye, staring at him. He swallowed hard; it was Meredith.

She flashed him one of her plastic smiles. "Morning, Lucas."

Lucas felt the color drain from his face. He looked around the lab; Dr. Levin and other technicians and nurses were working, and no one seemed surprised or phased by her presence. "Uh, hi," he muttered.

She chuckled softly. "You look like you've seen a ghost." She patted him gently on the cheek. "I really don't intimidate you that much, do I?"

Lucas shook his head nervously.

"Good; I was hoping you could spare a few moments. I'm sure the captain informed you that I'll be taking over the party plans, and I wanted to touch base with you."

Lucas pointed to the screen. "I'd love to, but I really need to get this done for Dr. Levin. How about we talk about it over lunch?" he offered. It was safer to have witnesses around, just in case.

"I'm actually busy then. Are you sure you can't leave right now?" she pressed. "I can talk to the doctor for you if you'd like."

Lucas looked at Dr. Levin, who had overheard. "You can take a break, Lucas."

Lucas sighed. The captain did say he should act naturally. "Alright. How about we go talk by the moon pool?" No way was he going anywhere alone with her.

She thought for a moment. "Very well. We won't be disturbed?"

He shook his head and secretly breathed a sigh of relief. "Nope; it's pretty quiet this time of day." He led her out to sea deck. "So, what's on your mind?"

She gave him another one of her saccharine sweet smiles. "Well, first, I hope you're not too upset with Dr. Westphalen."

Lucas shrugged his shoulders. "Why would I be upset? She had an emergency; it couldn't be helped." He was very impressed with himself. He managed to keep his cool, and he certainly hoped Meredith didn't see through him.

Meredith nodded. "Of course, but I warned her that she should say goodbye. She knew that you, Ben, and Katie were just around the corner. But, she refused."

Lucas could see she was trying to turn him against the doctor, but he wasn't going to allow it. "Well, I'm sure there's a perfectly good explanation for it. She'll tell us when she gets back." He quickly changed the subject. "But, I thought you wanted to talk about the party plans."

Lucas could see the annoyance on her face that her plan didn't work. "I did," she said, her teeth clenched slightly. She quickly changed her expression, however, and smiled once again. "All the plans that you and the doctor have made, scratch them. This is my party now. And, you won't give me any lip about it either."

Lucas shrugged his shoulders. "I have no problems with that."

Meredith was taken aback at first. But, her surprise quickly faded as annoyance set in. "You're not upset about that?"

"Not really," he admitted. "I was actually looking for a way out of helping with the party anyway. I'd rather just have fun, not work. You're actually doing me a favor." Of course, it was a lie, but Meredith didn't know that. It took all his might not to burst into peals of laughter as he noticed her face becoming red with anger. Although she had no way of knowing it, Lucas loved that he actually had the upper hand, and the fact that she was angry that he wasn't giving her a negative reaction was quite amusing. Seeing her squirm was the most fun he'd ever had.

After a few moments, however, her plastic smile returned. "Well, I appreciate your understanding then. I do promise you will have a very memorable experience. It'll be to die for." She looked at her watch. "Well, if you'll excuse me, I have a meeting to get to. See you later."

Lucas chuckled to himself as she quickly retreated. He looked at Darwin who clicked and squeaked excitedly. Lucas walked over to him. "My sentiments exactly."

Meanwhile, Kristin and the Admiral waited in the captain's quarters. Kristin had eaten, and she now felt much warmer, although she still wore the sweatshirt. But, now that she was feeling better, her worry set in. She found herself wringing her hands and pacing. She'd wished she hadn't let Nathan go out without explaining his plan.

"I'm sure there's nothing to worry about," Bill told her.

Kristin gave him a doubtful look. "You've been catering to that madwoman all week; aren't you the slightest bit concerned that she's walking about now that you know what she's capable of?"

"I'm still finding it hard to believe Meredith has an evil streak. Nathan and I have known her for years; we all trained at the academy together. I trusted her."

Kristin sighed. She was about to voice her opinions on how the military is full of mindless drones, something she'd said several times before, when there was a knock at the door, causing her to jump. She quickly hid in the bathroom and let Bill answer it. 

"Lieutenant Krieg?" the admiral greeted. "If you're looking for the captain, he's-"

Ben held up a hand. "No, Admiral, I know what's going on. Can I come in?"

Bill stepped aside and allowed him to enter. He closed the door behind him. "So, you've spoken with the captain?"

"He came to see me; he needed some supplies and a little help with his plan." He looked around the room. "Where's the doctor?"

Bill walked to the bathroom and knocked. "You can come out; it's just Ben, and Nathan's already filled him in."

Kristin immediately rushed out and wrapped her arms around Ben.

"I'm happy to see you too, Doc," Ben assured her. "You're alright?"

She released him and nodded. "Yes, but I'm worried sick about what Nathan has planned. Please say you know what's going on."

Ben gave her an encouraging smile. "I promise you that the captain has everything under control. His plan is foolproof."

Kristin let out an exasperated groan. "You military types are too trusting! Meredith is a conniving manipulator; I don't trust her alone with anyone, even Nathan. If he expects me to just sit around and wait, not knowing what's going on out there, I'll go mad!" She started toward the door.

Ben blocked her way. "Just calm down, Doc. The captain and I have just arranged the ultimate prank. It's foolproof really. But, if you leave the room, you might ruin it. You have to be patient. Just trust us."

Kristin sighed and backed away from the door. "Just what is his plan exactly?"

Ben gave her a smile. "You'll see."

Meredith headed back to her room. She was just about to head down to the brig to bring Kristin some lunch when she realized she'd forgotten the secret ingredient. No, she was not planning to kill the woman, but she certainly had no qualms about keeping her drugged. Of course, she knew that Kristin hadn't eaten her breakfast…but no one can go three days without food. She knew Kristin would eventually give in.

Meredith turned the door handle and walked in. But, what she saw caused her to let out a bone-chilling scream. Immediately, she ran out, in search of someone, anyone who might help her.

Suddenly, Ben, Kristin, and Bill heard a frantic knocking at the door.

Ben smiled. "Right on schedule." He turned to Kristin. "Sorry, but you're going to have to go back into the bathroom."

Kristin did so muttering something about the military and their protocol.

Once the coast was clear, Ben opened the door. A very distraught Meredith rushed in. "Where's Nathan?" she demanded.

"He must be on the bridge," Bill explained. "What's wrong?"

"M-my room…someone's been in my room. I need to find Nathan right away!" She turned to Ben. "Can you come with me, please?"

Ben and the admiral exchanged glances. He took out his PAL. "I think it's best that we stay right here."

A minute later, Nathan's voice sounded through the PAL. "Bridger."

"Captain, it seems we have a situation here," Ben explained. "Apparently the psycho just decorated the general's room. She's pretty upset."

Nathan sighed audibly. "I'll be right there."

Meredith slumped down onto one of the chairs and waited. "I just can't believe someone would do that to me…there's blood everywhere."

Bill placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. "I'm sure it's just a harmless prank."

"Harmless?" Meredith scoffed. "Someone had written, 'Die, die, die all over my walls in blood!"

"That sounds just like what happened in Lucas' room," Ben noted.

Before anyone else could reply, Nathan rushed in.

Meredith ran to him and buried her face in his shoulder. "Oh, pookie, I'm so glad you're here. It's so awful!"

Nathan placed a comforting arm around her. "It's alright; l'm sure the surveillance team saw something. You'd better show us."

Meredith nodded and held tightly on to Nathan's arm as they walked back to her room. Once they reached the doorway, Meredith stiffened with fear. She turned her head away as Nathan opened the door.

The three men just stood there in surprise. Meredith kept her head turned, but said, "I told you it was horrible, didn't I?"

After a moment of silence, Nathan finally spoke, "Uh, Meredith, are you sure about what you saw?"

"What are you talking about? Of course I'm sure! I-" She stopped mid-sentence when she finally looked back into her room. It was perfectly clean, just as she had left it before. "No," she said, shaking her head. "There-there was blood…and a doll…there were messages on the wall…"

"Meredith, I think you need to lie down," Nathan told her. "You don't look well."


	19. Chapter 19

Meredith shook he head in disbelief. "I don't need to lie down," she insisted. "I know what I saw."

Nathan turned to Ben and the admiral. "Uh, maybe you two should leave us alone? I think the general needs some rest." He quickly ushered them out.

"I do not," Meredith said yet again, but the others ignored her. Ben and Bill left the room. "You don't believe me, do you?" she asked Nathan once they were alone.

Nathan hesitated. "Well, it's kind of hard to believe since there's no evidence." He looked around the room. "There isn't a drop of blood or a strip of fake entrails anywhere."

Meredith started looking around the room herself, doing a more extensive search by pulling up mattresses and blankets off the beds and searching for a speck of blood on the walls. Nathan nearly fell over laughing, but he managed to keep a straight face. Finally, Meredith gave up, admitting defeat.

"Really, I think you should just lie down," he insisted again. "It's been a long week; knowing that there's someone on the boat that's been messing with everyone's heads probably just caught up to you. I can have Dr. Levin come up here and take a look at you if you'd like," he offered.

She shook her head and started to voice a protest when a thought came to her. "You said the surveillance team might have noticed something. Can we go view the tapes?"

He shrugged his shoulders. "I suppose, but I'm not sure what good it will do. They already know to inform me if something seems amiss."

"Well, maybe they missed something; come on," she urged, taking his hand and pulling him toward the door.

"Alright," Nathan agreed, following her into the corridor. As they headed to the other end of the boat, Nathan took out his PAL, and when he was sure Meredith wasn't paying attention, he whispered, "The eagle has landed."

On the other end of the PAL link, Ben laughed. "Everything's falling into place," he informed the admiral and the doctor.

"So, Nathan's alright?" Kristin asked with concern.

"Trust me, Doc, the captain is just fine. I can't say the same for Meredith, however." He had a huge smile on his face.

Once Nathan and Meredith reached the surveillance room, Chief Crocker greeted them. "Afternoon, Cap, General. Anything I can do for you?"

"Well, Chief, the general here feels there was some disturbing activity near her room just a short time ago. Has anyone on your team noticed anything?"

Crocker shook his head. "Not that I know of, but I have to say, it's possible. Sometimes, we don't notice anything strange until we review the tapes later. We were just about to view the B-deck tape from earlier today; care to join us?"

"Most definitely," Meredith said, confident the tape would show something…or at least someone who was responsible. She knew for a fact there wouldn't have been a delay at that time of day.

As Crocker set the tape up, he gave the captain a secretive wink. Nathan gave him a nod as he started the tape. The tape showed the perfect view of the west corridor on B-deck, the one directly adjacent to Meredith's room. But, the activity in that area showed nothing out of the ordinary.

"Can you fast forward a little?" Meredith asked.

"Sure thing," Crocker said, pressing the buttons. Then, he pressed the play button once again.

"Wait a minute!" Nathan said, pointing. "There is someone there. Can you change angles?"

Crocker pressed a few buttons, and they were able to see a different view of the corridor. "Isn't that you, General?"

Meredith squinted and brought her face a little closer to the monitor. "I think so, but…" Suddenly, she let out an audible gasp. She looked at the date that was in the bottom right had corner of the screen, and all the color drained from her face. This wasn't the footage from this morning; it was the footage from the day she'd vandalized her own room. She'd hidden the tape in her room and replaced it with another that day.

"You want to tell us what you were doing that day?" Nathan asked.

Meredith took a step backward and shook her head. "Th-there's a perfectly logical explanation for this," she stammered.

"What? That you were redecorating your room? You know, you had everyone truly concerned about you. Why don't you start telling us what else you've lied about?" Nathan demanded. "Why don't you start by telling the truth for once?" He took out his PAL once again. "Right now," he said into it.

"That's our cue," Ben announced. "Let's go watch the show." He turned to Kristin. "You too, Doc." He offered his arm.

She gladly accepted, happy she wouldn't have to keep hiding in the captain's quarters, and the three quickly headed to the surveillance room.

Meredith nearly fainted when she saw Kristin.

Kristin gave her a smile and crossed her arms in front of her chest. "Guess the cat's out of the bag, isn't it, Meredith?"

"You…how did you…" Meredith stammered. She suddenly realized her plan was falling apart in front of her. She turned to Admiral Noyce. "Billy, it was an accident. I didn't mean to hurt anyone." Then, she turned to Nathan. "I only wanted us to be together. I love you; I never stopped loving you."

Nathan shook his head. "You have a funny way of showing it." He turned to Crocker. "You know what to do."

Kristin stepped forward. "Wait just a moment."

Nathan gave her a look.

"Please," Kristin told him. "I think I've held my tongue with her long enough, but I have a few things to say to her."

Nathan gave Crocker a nod; Crocker proceeded to handcuff Meredith, but he waited patiently for the doctor to say her piece.

"You know, Meredith," Kristin began, "I happen to be a firm believer in what goes around comes around. I think it's safe to assume that's exactly what's happening to you now. When you spend your life trying to manipulate everyone around you, eventually, it's going to fall apart. Wouldn't you agree?"

Meredith was silent.

"Aw, what's the matter? Cat got your tongue, honey?" She gave her a gentle pat on the cheek. "Tsk. That's what I thought." She took a few steps backward, "Proceed, Chief."

Everyone watched as Crocker led Meredith away.

Nathan sighed. "Well, guess that mystery is solved. Perhaps things can get back to normal around here now."

"Does this mean I get my Sandy back?" Ben asked.

Kristin gave him a smile. "Of course."

Nathan gave them a questioning look.

"You'll just have to wait for the party," Kristin told him.

Admiral Noyce and Nathan headed to the vid-link to inform UEO headquarters of Meredith's wayward actions. In doing so, they also found out she was responsible for a long string of corruption, causing the unjust termination of several UEO officials. Apparently, Meredith had been relieved of duty weeks earlier, but they hadn't managed to inform everyone.

"I am so sorry, Nathan," Bill finally said. "You know, Dr. Westphalen was right…maybe I am a little too trusting."

Nathan chuckled softly. "Just don't let her hear you say that; you'll never hear the end of it."

He nodded. "I know, I know. Under the circumstances, I think it's best that I leave as soon as possible. Headquarters wants Meredith in their presence for official impeachment…yesterday."

Nathan nodded. "I understand, but what difference does a day make?"

Bill shook his head. "You all can still have your little party, but I think everyone will feel much more comfortable with Meredith off the boat."

Nathan nodded. "We'll prepare a launch."

As the launch was being prepared, Nathan went to find Kristin. In the commotion, he hadn't been able to make sure she was alright after everything. He knocked on the door.

A moment later, Kristin answered. "Hello," she greeted him with a smile. But, as she opened the door, Nathan saw she wasn't alone. Lucas, Katie, and Ben were all there as well.

"Oh, I didn't realize you had company."

"Well, word travels fast around here; when everyone heard what happened, they all came to see me. I've had visitor on and off most of the afternoon," she explained. "I've also informed everyone they can go back to their own rooms. I hope you don't mind. There's really no reason to double up anymore now that we know there's nothing to fear."

Nathan shook his head. "Not at all. In fact, thank you for that."

She nodded. "Most of the crew would be moving as we speak. The boys were just helping Katie move her things. They're nearly finished."

"Great…well, I suppose I should let you get some rest…you've had a long day…" Nathan turned to leave, but Kristin noticed his reluctance.

She stepped into the hall. "You don't have to leave. Besides, it doesn't matter how tired I am, I don't go to sleep at six at night unless I'm sick. Maybe we could get a bite to eat together?" she asked.

Nathan pointed toward the door to her room. "But I thought…don't you want to spend time with them?"

"I've been with them all afternoon," she explained. "I think they're probably sick of me by now. Give me a minute, OK?" She opened her door once again. "You three can finish up by yourselves. I'll see you in the morning?"

"Of course; goodnight, Doc," Katie said.

"See you bright and early," Lucas said. "Going to decorate for the party."

"Night, Doc."

"Goodnight," she said. She closed the door behind her and turned to Nathan. "All set."

"Uh, do you mind if we have dinner with the admiral as well? He's actually going to be leaving soon."

"He's not staying for the party?"

He shook his head. "No, he needs to get Meredith back to New Cape Quest. A launch is being prepared as we speak."

A short time later, the three of them were in the mess, enjoying a late dinner.

"I'd personally like to apologize to you, Doctor," Bill said. "I feel like I'm greatly responsible for this whole mess. I probably should have been more careful. You'd think I'd know better after Secretary Dre."

Kristin sighed. "Well, how about we call it even? You stop badgering me about those four extra torpedoes, and I won't bring up the fact you're so trusting." Then, she moved a little closer to the admiral and spoke in a low voice, "Of course, if anything like this ever happens again, there'll be hell to pay. I won't let you off so easy."

Bill nodded. "Oh, don't worry; it won't."

As they finished eating, Crocker came into the mess. "The prisoner is already in the launch, Admiral."

Noyce nodded. "Thank you, Chief. I'll be right there."

So, they all headed to launch bay. Nathan and Bill shook hands in departure. "I'll be in touch, Nathan. Take care."

"I will, Bill," Nathan assured him. "You too. Give my love to Janet."

Kristin held out her hand. "Goodbye, Admiral."

Bill, however, did not shake her hand. Instead, he wrapped her in a tight hug. "Take care of him," he whispered in her ear. Then, he added, "I'm not as oblivious about some things as you think I am." Then, he quickly released her and entered the launch, leaving Kristin red-faced and speechless.

Nathan walked over to her. "What was that all about?"

She quickly found her voice. "Just a little secret between the admiral and me."


	20. Chapter 20

The next day, Kristin woke to the sounds of Ben yelling. For a moment, she worried something horrible had happened, that Meredith had done something yet again. Then, she remembered that Meredith was no longer there. She threw on a robe and entered the hallway to see what was going on.

"Lucas, I'm going to kill you!" Ben yelled, running after him. Ben was soaking wet and covered in some kind of horrid-smelling red goo.

Lucas hid behind Kristin, using her as a barrier. "Hey, I told you I was going to get revenge. You didn't think I was going to let it go, did you?"

Ben lunged for Lucas but Kristin held him back. "Alright, that's enough you two. Lucas, go back to your room. Mr. Krieg, go take a shower. What is that on you anyway?"

"I have no clue, but my whole room smells like this," Ben shouted, making sure Lucas heard him.

Lucas, who was heading back to his room stopped and shouted back to him, "It's a mixture of rotten eggs, corn syrup, and a little dash of paprika. Genius, huh? Revenge sure is sweet!" He started walking once again.

Kristin tried to stifle a laugh. "Well, he does have a point. You did deserve that. Ugh…I do hope that smell comes out though."

"Oh, it better," Ben vowed.

"As for your room, Lucas will be happy to help you clean it after we finish decorating for the night." She was sure to speak loudly enough so Lucas could hear her.

"Fine," the boy muttered.

"Go hit the showers," Kristin ordered Ben gently.

Without arguing, Ben left.

Hearing the commotion, Nathan approached her. "What was that about?" Then, he wrinkled his nose at the offensive odor. "And what's that smell?"

Kristin smiled. "That is the smell of revenge…well, Lucas' concoction anyway." Then, upon seeing Nathan's expression, she waved a hand. "Don't worry; it's all taken care of. Ben's showering as we speak, and Lucas is going to help him clean that mess up after we finish decorating."

Nathan sighed. "I guess I can't be too hard on them. It is Halloween."

She nodded. "I'm sure we'll see another prank or two today as well."

"Well, as long as they don't involve glue, I'll be happy." He gave her a wink. "See you later."

After Kristin was showered and dressed, she and Lucas set to work decorating sea deck for the festivities that evening. Once the last fake cobweb was hung, and sea deck had been transformed to look like something out of a horror film, Lucas said, "Now, this looks awesome!"

Kristin took one last assessment of the room. "I think we've done well. Do you have the music ready?"

He nodded. "All set up."

"Good; I just have to be sure the food is all prepared. Now that all this is done, you have work to do."

Lucas sighed. "I know, I need to go help Ben. See you later."

Kristin gave him a smile. "Bye."

"Wow, this looks pretty spooky."

Kristin turned to see Nathan. She gave him a smile. "So, you like what we've done with the place?"

He nodded. "It definitely sets the mood." Then, he added, "Actually, that's what I wanted to talk to you about."

"What's that?" she asked.

"I know that you and Ben are going together…but since my date sort of fell through, I was wondering if you'd save me a dance?" he asked hopefully.

She gave him a smile. "I think we could arrange that."

Later that night, everyone was getting ready for the party. In Kristin's room, Katie was helping Kristin with her hair, as promised.

"Just hold still," Katie told her. "I just need to spray it one more time."

"I think it's going to take me a week to wash all the hairspray out as it is," Kristin replied.

"Just a little more," Katie said. She gave one last spray and turned her around to face the mirror. "Well, what do you think?"

Kristin's mouth fell open. "I swear if I had blonde hair, I'd look just like Olivia Newton-John."

Katie smiled. "I know. That's exactly what I thought too." She looked in the mirror and gave herself one last look as well. She put on the sunglasses Lucas had lent her. "Well, do I look like Trinity?"

"Definitely," Kristin assured her. She walked over to put on the leather jacket that completed her costume. She looked in the mirror one more time.

Katie looked over her shoulder. "That captain won't be able to keep his eyes off you."

Kristin blushed. "We'll see about that. Shall we see if the boys are ready?"

Katie and Kristin knocked on Ben's door. "One minute," Ben called. A moment later, the door opened. "Yowser!" Ben said when he saw Kristin.

"What? Do I look that bad?" she asked worriedly.

Ben shook his head. "I really hope you don't mind me saying this, Doc, but you look smoking hot!"

She blushed hotly. "Uh, thank you," she muttered.

"That's a compliment, I assure you," Katie added. "Is Neo in there?"

Ben nodded. "He helped me with my hair. Does it look good?"

"Very John Travolta," Katie assured him.

Lucas appeared next to Ben. "Trinity!" he said, opening his arms to her. "You look awesome!"

"So do you."

Lucas pushed past Ben. "We'll see you two on sea deck. We need to find our Morpheus; we all want to make our entrance together."

"Who's going to be Morpheus?" Ben questioned.

Lucas flashed him a smile. "Commander Ford. Too bad he wouldn't shave his head though."

Kristin chuckled as the two walked off. She turned back to Ben. "So, are you ready?"

He nodded and offered his arm. "Let's go."

Once on sea deck, the room was full of ghosts and goblins and the like. Tunes like Monster Mash and Thriller were playing in the background, and the crew looked like they were having a wonderful time.

Kristin scanned the room for Nathan, but she didn't see him. She decided he hadn't arrived and went to mingle with the rest of the crew.

A short time later, she felt a tap on her shoulder. She turned to see Nathan.

"Hi," she said with a smile.

"Hi; uh, that's quite a costume you've go there. Now I understand…Sandy."

She blushed and nodded. "I was worried I was too old to wear this."

He shook his head. "Certainly not."

Kristin couldn't help but notice him eyeing her up and down. "Uh, that's quite an interesting costume you have on yourself." She noticed he was wearing a suit and tie, his hair parted on the side. "Um…who are you supposed to be exactly?"

Nathan sighed. "JFK…Meredith was going as Marilyn Monroe. I know; no one can tell who I'm supposed to be now that she's…well…"

Kristin shrugged. "It doesn't matter anymore. You make a fine JFK," she assured him. Then, she added, "You know, I still need a partner for the scavenger hunt."

"But, I thought you and Ben…"

She shook her head. "No, he and Lucas are partners. Katie and Jonathan are partners. Everyone is already paired up. So, what do you say?"

He gave her a smile. "OK."

After eating, dancing, and the scavenger hunt, Nathan and Kristin stole away to the far corner of sea deck.

"What do you say we get out of here?" Kristin asked.

"But won't your Danny be upset?" Nathan replied.

They both looked over at Ben, who was dancing with Katie.

"I'm pretty sure he won't miss me. Besides, I think you and I have some catching up to do ourselves," Kristin added.

Nathan nodded. "Definitely."

Nathan took her hand and led her back to his room. He took her in his arms. "You know what I've been dying to do for a long time?"

"What's that?" she asked coyly.

"I've been dying to kiss you. I think it's about time." He lowered his lips to hers, but she stopped him.

"Hold that thought."

"Why?"

"I want to freshen up first," she told him. She led him to his chair. "Just sit here. I'll only be a minute."

He sighed. "Fine."

Kristin gave him a gentle push. "There; now get comfy."

But as Nathan sat, he felt something strangely familiar. He tried to shift when he realized he was stuck fast. "Kristin-"

She opened the drawer of his desk and set the small can of glue down in front of him, a very satisfied smile on her face.

"Kristin…you…you're the glue bandit? But why?"

"Well, the first time was just for fun," she explained. ""But this time…well, I told you you weren't off the hook."

"Kristin, come on, this isn't funny. I told you I was sorry," Nathan said.

She nodded. "I know, but I wanted to be sure you learned your lesson." She kissed him on the cheek and started toward the door.

"Kristin, no…you…you can't leave me here like this."

She turned back to him. "Don't worry; I'll come back to help you in a little while, but for now, I'm going to let you sweat it out." With that, she opened the door. "Lucas was right, revenge is sweet."

"Kristin, no," she heard Nathan say as she closed the door.

"I guess next time, you'll believe me, won't you?" she called to him as she walked down the corridor.


End file.
